Creature of a New Kind
by paigevlindsay
Summary: Turned vampire against her will, Sookie must navigate her new life, being undead. However, Sookie is not just any vampire, she is a creature of a new kind.
1. Six Feet Under

She awoke, eyes sore and chest heaving. Confusion swept over Sookie as she felt the cold, damp pressure of the earth against her skin. She couldn't remember getting ready for bed, or even going to sleep for that matter. She couldn't remember anything after the party.

Bill had taken her to many of these parties in New York. They had travelled from the deep south to California, to Chicago, and then finally they had ended up in New York. Bill had promised her that it was a road trip, and that they would return after their two weeks in New York, but after the paperwork that she had found scattered by his crawl space, talking about dealings and local properties, she had the awful feeling that she would be returning to Bon Temp alone.

The strangeness of the moment didn't hit until she realised that Bill was tucked in behind her. It was only then when she fully realised that they were buried, buried together.

Sookie knew enough about vampires to know that being buried with another vampire was never good. It took two long moments before she felt it, the thirst.  
"You motherfucker!" She cried out, realising what had happened. She didn't know the specifics of how it had happened, but she knew that she had spent her final day in the sun.

Before Bill could awake, Sookie began to claw her way out, finding it less of a struggle than she expected. She sighed, thinking how cool her increased strength would have felt, if her mortality had not been snatched away from her in exchange.

When Sookie finally reached the surface, she winced at the sight of the mid afternoon sun.  
"Oh shit." She cursed, realising she was about to turn into a vampire fritter. But, as she felt the sun on her face, she didn't begin to sizzle or smell like she had been laid on the barbeque. She felt refreshed, vitalised.

They had been buried in the park by their hotel. Sookie smiled ever so slightly, glad that she had a very short way to walk, covered in mud and dirt.

As she walked along the grass, she looked down at her hands. She had definitely changed. She was not little old Sookie from Bon Temp anymore - not that she had been for a very long time. But, if she was now vampire, how in the hell was she out, basking in the sun?

She stood in the shower and thanked her lucky stars that the hotel was vampire friendly and had seen many a young woman, covered in dirt, walk through the lobby. As if she had been existing in suspended reality, she finally fell and realised that she would never eat chicken fritters again, would never taste the sweetness of a cold beer on a hot day. What life did she have now?

She found herself weeping in the shower, and if there was any doubt of her being undead before, the rivers of bloody tears was about enough to confirm it.  
"What in good God's name?" She held up her hands, covered in blood.  
"Sookie, it is time to pick your little vampire booty up and get on with your life." She told herself, looking in the mirror. She had lived around vampires so long that she felt she knew the lifestyle well enough. She was strangely calm as she dialed the number for room service.  
"I would like a bottle of O, please." She stated calmly. Her thirst was niggling, but nothing like Jessica had described. She had passed full blooded humans on the way to her room, and although they all smelt lovely, she hadn't wanted to rip any of their heads off.

When the lady came with the bottle of O, Sookie quickly opened the door, snatched the bottle and closed it again. She couldn't stand to look at the woman, all warm, with blood pumping through her veins.

She ripped off the top and began glugging. It was warm and thick. She almost gagged at first. But carried on, as her hunger began to subside. She sighed as she looked down at the bottle.  
"I guess it is me and you from now on." She felt strange that she was so calm. But, until Bill turned up, there was nothing she could do.

* * *

Bill awoke to the warm, comforting sensation of sleeping underground. There was nothing he preferred than the feeling of regeneration he got when sleeping in the ground. However, this moment of pure calm was interrupted by the immediate dread that came with the realisation that Sookie was not laying beside him.

He ran into the hotel and barged into the room. He could feel the blood pumping around his body, wondering what carnage Sookie could have caused in her newborn state.

He was stopped in his tracks when he found Sookie, wrapped up in a white robe, eating a bucket of chicken.  
"Sookie?" He asked, too many questions to pin one down.  
"You know more than me." She told him, shrugging her shoulders. She had never craved chicken like it before. She couldn't care about her thighs or her hips in that moment. She just had to shove as much chicken in her mouth as she could physically fit.

She didn't immediately pounce on Bill. She could have cussed him out, screamed at him. But all of that could wait. She had her chicken and he needed to wash.

Bill stood in the shower and wondered what on earth was happening. He could tell that Sookie had been turned, a mistake he wished he could undo. But he had seen her, with his own eyes, chowing down on a bucket of chicken. It made no sense. She should have been out for blood, not out for KFC.

He sighed, standing in the shower. He knew that he was going to be walking into a world of pain. He deserved it, he had gone too far. He always found it hard to control himself when they were at nest parties, they always brought out the animalistic side of him. But he had been influenced, sucked too hard, and he had felt Sookie slip away.

He rested his head against the cold marble as he thought back to the night before.  
"Sookie! Sookie!" He had called out to her, shaking her lifeless body. They had gotten almost to this point before, many times before. But this time she was truly gone, her soul slowly leaving her body.

He had to think fast, she had always said that she never wanted to be a vampire, but he had no choice, she was dying, and she was slipping away quickly. He knew that she would hate him for it, but at least she would be alive.

He entered the living room, to see Sookie packing her bags.  
"Sookie-" He began.  
"I don't wanna hear it." She sighed, feeling her lower lip begin to quiver.  
"It was the one thing I still had, my humanity, and you took it away!" She threw her sweatpants down into the case and tried to concentrate on keeping her blood tears in, not wanting to ruin her fresh white robe.

Bill sat and sighed, placing a hand over his face.  
"I don't know what to say." He shook his head.  
"There is nothing to say. This is done now." She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. Bill furrowed his brows, confused. How could she be so calm? Her life had completely changed.  
"I don't ever want to see you again. You did this to me, and I see no use in screaming and shouting. I am going back to Bon Temp and I am going to go back to my normal life." She zipped up the case.  
"Sookie, you cannot go back to your normal life." He told her calmly.  
"And that is your fault!" She turned and screamed at him. Bill sighed, glad that she was finally showing some emotion.  
"I am going back, and you can't stop me." She told him and he shook his head.  
"You can't drive back tonight, you won't get there before dawn." He told her and she laughed.  
"When do you think I woke up?! I think I'll be fine." She told him and watched his eyes widen, before she stormed out of the room, and down to her little car, ready for the day long drive back to Bon Temp.


	2. Back to Bon Temp

Sookie winced as she tried to remember what happened.  
" _Another party?! This vacation was supposed to be about spending time together!"_ She had screamed at Bill.  
" _I promise, it's the last one."_ Sookie already knew that he was lying, that there would be another party in a week's time, for some company he had shares in or some old friend coming to town.

She hadn't wanted to go to the party. She wanted to stay at home and order pizza and watch Sex and the City. She didn't want to have another night of vamps sniffing around her and Bill announcing that she was his every 30 seconds. She was fed up with Bill's lifestyle.

But now, everything had changed, was she now part of that life? Part of that way of living? She hoped not. It hadn't quite sunken in yet, that she was immortal, or that she would have to drink True Blood. She pondered as she drove. If she was a vampire, then why did she crave chicken? How could she even eat chicken? Something wasn't right. But she couldn't even think about it. So, she focused on the road, and getting back to Bon Temps.

* * *

Bill paced around the hotel room. What had he created? Faeries and vampires had been sworn enemies for as long as any vampire could remember. Had anyone ever turned a fae? What did it mean that Sookie was still able to eat chicken, and walk in the sun? Had he not turned her? The empty bottle of O negative suggested that she was vampire, but there was so much evidence to disprove it. He sat on the edge of the sofa and placed his head into his hands, knowing that he had made a massive mistake.

* * *

It was almost dawn when Sookie arrived home. She opened up her porch door for the first time in months and sighed.  
"Oh what would you think of me Gran, if you could see me now?" She wondered and shook her head, feeling a shame that would not fully stick.

The first thing she did was crawl into her bed. She could smell every bit of dust in the house, but she didn't care. She was in her bed, alone, for the first time in months. She sighed and despite her better judgement, she allowed herself to cry, really cry this time. She placed her head into the pillow and screamed whilst she wept. This was a life that had been thrust on her, forced on her, and she was unsure how she was going to go on.

She didn't go down to the bunker. The way she saw it, if she couldn't go out into the sun, then she didn't want to be alive anyway. She wasn't sure if she was still alive, or whether she was undead, or somewhere in between. All that she knew was that she was hungry, and not for chicken this time.

She took a deep breath and opened up her curtains, facing the morning sun. She sighed, and let out a little laugh as the warmth hit her face.  
"Well, I'll be." She shook her head. Her hunger felt like an itch that she couldn't reach, residing deep within her throat. But she didn't feel as if she wanted to go on a rampage, she just needed to go to the store to pick up a couple of bottles of O negative.

The perk of having dated vampires is that when Sookie needed to stock up on blood, no one batted an eyelid. She felt herself sweat as she gave the guy at the counter the cash and sped the whole way home.

She ran into the house, faster than she knew was possible, and smashed open a bottle, not even swallowing. When she finished the bottle, she wiped her lips and smiled, feeling better. As she cooked breakfast, she wondered if maybe she could live a pretty normal life. Sure, she would have to have True Blood instead of diet coke, but she could eat, and work in the day. It seemed to Sookie that she could hide her newly immortal state from pretty much everyone.

When Jason heard from Hoyt that Sookie was back in town, he hopped in his truck and hoped that she had stocked up on some breakfast. When he smelt the sizzling of bacon, he realised just how much he had missed her. He had never wanted her to go on the trip with Bill. But she had been so insistant and he could never tell Sookie anything anyway.

Sookie smelt him before she saw him. _Well, that's new._ She thought to herself. She straightened up her shoulders and prepared herself for being in close proximity to a human for the first time since she was turned.  
"Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes!" He called out, scooping Sookie into a hug.  
"You ain't so bad yourself." She smiled and Jason took a little step back, feeling something different about Sookie, something he couldn't put his finger on.

Jason chatted away about all that Sookie had missed whilst she was away. He spotted the empty bottle of True Blood on the counter and furrowed his brows.  
"Bill come back with you last night?" He asked and Sookie saw the bottle of blood in his mind.  
"Oh yeah, but he's had to go back to New York now." She smiled, but Jason could tell she wa lying. She had never been a good liar.  
"So what's it like, the big city?" He asked and she sighed.  
"Well, big cities are all the same. You seen one, you've seen em all." She told him and he nodded, watching her.

Sookie knew he was going to find out. He was already suspicious of something, but it would only be a matter of time before he realised. That amount of time was far shorter than Sookie had thought, when Jason returned with her blood stained pillow in his hand.  
"Sook, what is this?" He asked and her eyes grew wide. How did she even begin to explain.

They sat down and Sookie could feel Jason's fear. She told him how she had not chosen for this, and his face turned so red that she thought she might lick her lips.  
"I'll kill the undead fucker." He spat and Sookie chuckled.  
"I am an undead fucker now, Jason." She told him and he apologised, looking down at his hands.  
"How can you be so calm?" He asked and she sighed.  
"I'm not really. Inside I am going crazy. I don't understand anything." She admitted and his head snapped up.  
"Why are you not all crispy and burnt?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.  
"And why could you eat bacon? And why don't you look creepy pale like the others?" He was asking so many questions and getting so wound up that when he finally asked:  
"Are you sure you were turned?" her fangs popped out. It was painful, like having teeth grow in instantly.  
"Oh my god." She shook her head, covering her mouth.  
"Jason, I'm sorry." She told him, feeling like she might cry again.

Jason took a minute to breath.  
"Alright. Calm down." He told her.  
"If you can keep those in, and eat like a human, and walk in the daylight, then surely you can live like normal?" He asked and Sookie nodded her head.  
"I don't want to be a vampire, and I don't want people knowing I am one. Please Jason, for once, keep this secret." He nodded and sighed.  
"Never a dull moment with you, is there?"


	3. The Viking Vampire

Jason soon left and Sookie sat and wondered what she should do with the rest of her day. She was almost positive that sunbathing was going to be pushing her luck, and Sam didn't know she was back, so no work. So, she decided to sit with a novel that she had been meaning to start for months, a six pack of True Blood and a pint of ice cream.

She told herself that tomorrow, she would go into Merlotte's and tell Sam she was back to work. But she was unsure how she was going to react with so many blood filled humans around. She found herself falling asleep - that kind of thing happens when your body clock is used to vampire time - and she only awoke to the sound of a knock at the door.

She had never slept so well in her life, and she remembered Bill telling her before that vampires are as close to death as is possible when they sleep. She thought that made sense. Still feeling groggy, she stumbled over to the door and opened it to find six foot of viking vampire.  
"You're back." He stated, walking past her, having been invited in months ago.  
"Yes, I am." Sookie went into panic mode. The last person she wanted to know that she was a vampire, was Eric. He would no doubt use it against her. But it seemed, as he picked up an empty bottle of blood, that this wish was a distant dream.

Eric felt his whole world stop. There were at least four empty bottles of O negative lying around on the floor of Sookie's living room. He took a deep breath in and sensed that something was different. He looked over to Sookie.  
"Bill come back with you?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"Sookie-" He didn't know what to say.  
"Don't, please don't." She shook her head.

She invited Eric to sit down.  
"I would offer you a drink, but I'm afraid it's all gone." She sighed, cleaning up the bottles.  
"Sookie, sit down." He ordered her and she felt a strange obedience, which she was sure was going to work against her.

Eric looked at Sookie and saw so much pain. He wanted to make a witty pun about her new immortality, but he couldn't find it within himself.  
"I never knew that you wanted this." He leant his elbows on his knees and looked at her with as much compassion as he could muster.  
"I didn't." She shook her head, sighing. Eric sat upright now.  
"Tell me who did it and how they did it." He ordered her and she shook her head again.  
"Why? So that you can hunt them? Make them pay for what they have done? What is the point now?" She sat back and Eric understood why she felt so lost. He had felt the same way when he was first turned.

Sookie eventually told Eric about Bill.  
"I should have guessed as much." He ground his teeth together.  
"I guess it was this or death, so this is better." She shrugged her shoulders.  
"Where is he now?" He asked her and she told him she left him yesterday, in New York.  
"You drove back?" He asked and she chuckled.  
"Yes, my little yellow car can make it that way." He smiled, hearing her laugh, but he was troubled by the timeline.  
"But it would have taken hours, way after dawn." He shook his head and Sookie remained silent.  
"And it is only just sunset, and you were asleep on the couch." He began putting clues together.  
"I think something went wrong. Maybe I am not fully turned." She suggested and he cocked an eyebrow.  
"That is impossible." He told her and she shrugged.  
"I still get hungry, I eat food, I can be in the sun-"  
"You can be in the sun?!" He interrupted her. She knew she shouldn't have told him.  
"Eric, you mustn't tell anyone." She insisted and he nodded.  
"Quite right, else vamps will be coming to feast on you to live in the sun." He told her and Sookie had not even contemplated this idea.  
"Oh good god." She shook her head.  
"Sookie, don't worry. Bill is being incredibly irresponsible, not being here. But I am going to act as your guardian, until you get used to your new existence." She cringed at the thought of Eric being around all the time.  
"Eric, I don't want to live my life at night. I can survive during the day. I want to continue on with a human life. I don't want people to know." She admitted.  
"Are you ashamed?" He asked, slightly offended.  
"Yes." She answered plainly and he had to admit that he respected her for her honesty.  
"We will change that. It is terrible what happened to you. But we are going to make the most of it." He told her and Sookie sighed. She didn't want Eric involved, but without Bill, she needed someone to guide her throughout this.  
"Alright, fine." She agreed. Eric smiled down at her and she wondered if she had made a massive mistake.


	4. Sisters

Sookie's first night was rather uneventful, compared to her expectations. Eric sat with her on the sofa and asked her how she felt, how she had felt in the sun. He asked a lot of questions about the sun.  
"I just feel a little sensitive, like I should wear sunscreen." She replied and he looked up at her like a new toy on christmas day.  
"I have never heard of it. You're like a kind of hybrid. You can pass as both human and vampire." He told her and she shrugged.  
"Maybe it is the fae side of me, counteracting the vampire side." She suggested and he nodded.  
"Yes, most likely." He told her and she wondered what else there was to talk about.

Eric could not believe it, he had never seen anything quite like vampire fae Sookie. She didn't smell like a vampire, she smelt like normal Sookie. It was unbelievable.  
"So, you managed to drive home, alone, without attacking anyone?" He asked and she nodded."  
I stopped for food, but it was a burger, not murder." She told him and he chuckled.  
"I wonder if I'll be immortal." She pondered and Eric tilted his head to the side.  
"Do you want to be?" He asked, knowing that she had never really wanted immortal life.  
"I didn't want anything of this, Eric." She told him and sighed.

Eric watched as Sookie's lower lip quivered. He had never seen her cry, he realised in that moment. But, she got up and headed to the bathroom before he could see her tears fall. He wondered to himself if they were blood, or still water. She was so fascinating and confusing. But, he knew that if word got out that she existed, every vampire would be booking a ticket to Bon Temp to conduct all sorts of tests on her.

Sookie stood in the bathroom and wiped away her tears. Tissue after tissue became saturated with blood, and she wondered how she had so much blood left in her. When she cried, she got angry, and she could feel her anger building. Part of her wished that she had died. But, she told that part of herself to promptly shut its mouth and then took a deep breath.

Eric had been thinking whilst Sookie was gone.  
"I don't think you should go back to work." He told her and she sighed.  
"Eric, this is an awful thing that happened to me. But, I will not let it define me. I will go back to my normal life." She told him and he could see that she didn't quite believe it.  
"I don't think you should be living here alone." He told her and she laughed.  
"Eric, I lived her when a serial killer was after me. I think I will be fine." She chuckled, but Eric wasn't laughing.  
"Knowing Bill, he has gone to someone to ask for advice, which means others might already know about you. I think you should have a vampire here, if you're thinking of keeping your usual human schedule." He told her and she rolled her eyes.  
"You're not moving in, Eric." She told him and he shook his head.  
"I don't mean me." He said and Sookie felt a little offended that he didn't make a remark, like he usually would.  
"Ah, my allure has worn off now that I am some weird hybrid." She chuckled and shook her head, maybe then vampires would leave her alone. She thought she might rather like that. Eric looked up at her and shook his head.  
"Oh no, if anything you are more appealing now, and I will make my move later. But for now, we need to find a way to keep you safe." He told her and she rolled her eyes.

Jessica was surprised to open the door to Eric and Sookie.  
"Why hello there. I didn't expect to see you, Sookie. Is Bill with you?" She asked and Sookie sighed and looked to the ground.  
"Your maker has been very bad, Jessica." Eric told her, giving her a mischievous grin.

Jessica couldn't believe what she had heard.  
"The bastard! Exactly what he did to me!" She shook her head.  
"Maybe it is his fetish, to turn people against their will?" She asked and Sookie had to laugh at that.  
"Jessica, Sookie is going to go about her normal life, until she figures out her new existence." He told her and she furrowed her eyebrows.  
"But how?" She asked.  
"I can walk in the sun." Sookie told her and Jessica had the intense desire to sulk, out of jealousy.  
"Well that just isn't fair." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"I want you to go and stay with Sookie, for the time being, to take the role of maker while Bill is absent." He told her and Jessica nodded.  
"Of course. If you will have me, Sookie?" She asked. Jessica thought it would be rather nice to live with another girl, after living on her own for so long, with only Hoyt to keep her company.

Sookie sat back and looked to Eric. She really didn't have a choice in this. But when she looked at Jessica, she was young and vibrant and better at the whole being a vampire thing than Sookie was sure she was ever going to be. She thought it might be nice to have another girl in the house, especially a girl that could kill any intruders.  
"I think it would be nice. I guess we were both wronged by Bill." She smiled, trying to be enthusiastic and Jessica beamed.  
"I guess we're kind of like sisters." Sookie didn't like this thought at all, and stood to leave.  
"I'll leave a key in the boot on the porch, you can move your stuff into the cubby whenever." She told her and Jessica understood that this was an upsetting time for her.  
"Of course, Sookie, thank you for having me." She smiled and Sookie half grinned, before turning to leave.

They walked back from Bill's in silence.  
" _I just want to help you."_ Sookie heard and turned.  
"That is sweet of you, but I really just want to get back to my life." She replied and Eric stood with wide eyes.  
"Sookie, I didn't say anything." He told her and she sighed.  
"No no no, this is not happening." She shook her head.  
"This is not good." He told her, striding on ahead of her. Sookie was glad that it was not a stream of consciousness, like with humans, but she could hear selective thoughts from Eric and she hated it. She had always loved vampires because she couldn't hear their thoughts. Now, it seemed that she could hear them too.

She tried to block it out, but she was feeling hungry again, so her guard was down.  
" _You need to come and live with me, I need to protect you."  
_ "Protect me from who?" Sookie cried out, getting more anxious by the minute.  
"Sookie, please stop reading my thoughts." He growled at her, his hand over his face.  
"That is easy for you to say!" She screamed at him.  
"I am hungry, and I don't even know what I'm hungry for. And I'm tired and I don't know why. I just want to sleep for days and drink a hundred bottles of True Blood and don't even tell me that I need to feed, because you won't convince me to do it." She told him and he sighed. He took her hand and pulled her back into the house.

He sat her down on the couch and looked down at his own wrist.  
"I won't make you feed, Sookie. But you need some fresh blood in you from somewhere." He told her and before she could protest, he bit down on his wrist and placed his arm against her lips. At first she fought it, but his blood tasted like the sweet nectar of life and she felt her fangs pop out and bite down.

Eric never let anyone feed on him, but Sookie was just different, she always had been. He felt his blood flow into her and with it came the strangest sensation. It was as if he felt his blood changing. He wondered if it was being turned into a vampire fae hybrid, but he didn't know enough about faeries to answer that question.

Bill watched from outside the window. He cursed himself. It should have been him that Sookie was feeding off of. Her first feed should have been with her master. But now Eric would always have that bond with her. He felt a rage bubble under his skin, but it felt like a rage that he was not entitled to feel, after what he had done, and this was confirmed when, out of nowhere, Jessica slapped him clean in the face.  
"You asshole." She spat at him. So, she knew.  
"What are you doing with those bags?" He asked, looking down at the bags shoved under each of her arms.  
"I am bunking with Sookie. Someone has to support her in this. She doesn't want you here, Bill." She told him and it pained him to admit that she was probably right. He took the short walk back to his home, which felt far longer than usual, and wondered what he had done wrong for both of his children to be living together, hating him in the same house.


	5. First Bag of Blood

She hated to admit it, but Sookie did sleep better knowing that Jessica was in the house. She sat on the sofa in her flannel pyjamas and watched the television. Sookie smiled as she watched her, it seemed that she was living a pretty normal life.

She awoke in the morning and flung her curtains open. Although it was a mild autumn day, the sun still made her wince a little. So she rustled through her bathroom shelves, to find her old bottle of sunscreen.  
"It has been a long while since I have seen you." She sighed, looking down at the bottle from when her Gran was still alive and forced her to put it on.  
"You'll catch that nasty cancer!" She used to say and Sookie chuckled, wondering what she would say if she saw her now.

She dressed for the day in her little denim shorts and a white t shirt. She felt strangely nostalgic for the time before she met Bill, when all she had to worry about was being a telepath and whether or not she was going to find a date that didn't repulse her. Now, she was hiding the fact that she was a vampire faerie hybrid, and she wondered how things had gotten so complicated.

She packed a flask of blood with her, incase she struggled with the scents of a bar full of humans. Whilst she poured it, she felt both repulsed and hungry. It was the first time she had ever experienced the two emotions at the same time.

For a moment, as she was driving to work, she wished she had never met Bill. Then, she would have never met Eric, and maybe even Gran would have still been alive, and poor little Tina. But, there was no going back now. She thought that she might get a new cat, and that thought raised her spirits a little.

When she got to Merlotte's, it felt like she had been away an eternity. She parked in her usual spot and took a deep breath before walking into the bar. She definitely noticed that people smelt different, and now alongside repressing her mind reading, she had to repress her bloodlust. She wondered if she was ever going to catch a break.

Sam was shocked to see Sookie back so soon. Jason had told him that she was back, and proceeded to buy shots all night. He wanted to ask, but Sam was never one to pry.  
"Sookie, you're back soon." He smiled, pulling her into an embrace. She smelt different, not wildly different, but just a little, enough for Sam to notice.

Sookie smiled and hugged Sam, trying not to scrunch her nose up at the scent of dog. She had never smelt that on Sam before, but now it was there, in full force.  
"Oh yeah, I left Bill in New York. I am not a city girl." She told him and he chuckled and nodded.  
"No, I don't imagine you doing well in the big city." She smiled a little and wished she could tell him how right he was.

They sat down in his office and Sam could tell that Sookie was on edge.  
"Are you alright Sook? You seem stressed." He asked and Sookie wondered if she should tell him. But too many people already knew and she loved Sam, but he wasn't the best at keeping a secret.  
"Oh, it's just Bill. We had a fight before I left New York. I don't think we're dating anymore." And as she told him, she realised that she was telling the truth. That added salt into the wound. Not only was she dealing with all the shit he dealt her, they weren't together anymore.  
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry Sook." He placed a friendly hand on her knee and she smiled up at him.

After Sookie almost begging him, Sam agreed to let Sookie come back to work that evening.  
"You know I feel useless if I'm not doing anything!" She told him and he nodded.  
"If only everyone could be like you." He smiled and she wondered what kind of world that would be.

Sookie had to take a quick bathroom trip before she left the bar. She sipped on her blood and realised that she probably wasn't going to have enough for a whole shift. She couldn't take blood from the bar, maybe she could keep some extra flasks in her bag, she would have to sit down and work it out.

For the rest of the day, Sookie did some housekeeping, vacuuming, mopping and the likes and she baked three pies. That was how you could tell that she was avoiding something, if Sookie baked pies.

She called up Jason and told him to come over for afternoon pie and once he heard the word "pie" nothing was going to stop him. He turned up and tried to stay as calm as possible.

They sat together and ate more pie than two people should have been able to consume.  
"I'm going back to work tonight." She told him and he looked up at her.  
"Now how in the hell are you gonna do that?" He asked her and she looked at him confused.  
"All those people, just filled with blood. Surely you shouldn't be putting yourself through that so soon?" He asked her and she chuckled it off. But she knew, deep within herself, that he might be right.

They dropped the subject, because Jason knew that Sookie's mind was not going to be changed.  
"I wonder what Mommy and Daddy would say, if they could see me now?" She asked and he smiled down at her.  
"They'd be proud of you, Sook. You've always been different, now you're just different in another way." He told her and that comforted her a little.

Jason insisted that he would stay until the sun went down.  
"I don't like the thought of you being alone in the house." He told her and she chuckled and shook her head.  
"Jason, now that I'm what I am, I am sure I could fight off anyone that was coming to get me." She told him, but he still stayed.

When the sun finally set, Sookie felt a little less tired. She decided that although she didn't burn up in the sun, it was definitely not her prime time. The doorbell rang and Jason got up to get it. Before he opened the door, Sookie knew who it was going to be.  
"Hello there, I'm here for Sookie." Eric announced.  
"And who might you be?" Jason asked, Sookie silently pleaded with him not to be difficult.  
"I am Eric Northman, sheriff of area 5. I have promised to supervise Sookie." He told him and after a couple of seconds, Jason invited him in.

Sookie stood when Eric walked into the living room.  
"You almost missed me. I'm about to head to work." She told him and he sighed.  
"Sookie, you cannot go back to work this early. You don't know how strong your hunger will be." He told her and she brushed it off.  
"I'm taking some True Blood with me. I'll be fine." Eric rolled his eyes.  
"No matter your political or ethical standing, that bottled blood shit does not fully satisfy you. You're going to need fresh blood." He told her and Jason felt himself go a little faint.  
"I told you, I'm not doing that." She told him and he huffed.  
"Fine. But if you're going to Merlotte's, then I'm coming with you." He told her.  
"Don't be so ridiculous." She shook her head.  
"Sookie, this is not up for debate. And as your sheriff, you will follow my orders. You're lucky I haven't ordered you to stay home from work." He told her and she felt the need to stomp her foot and pout.  
"Fine, whatever." She huffed, picking up her bag and keys.  
"I'll see you later, Jess!" She called down to the cubby.  
"Bye Sook!" She called back.

Jason and Eric shook hands, before he got into his truck.  
"Please look out for her." Jason pleaded and Eric smiled as much as Eric ever smiled at a man.  
"I will."

Sookie remained silent as she drove to work.  
"You should feel grateful, I am giving up a night of lap dances for this." He told her. "Unless you feel like giving me one later?" He added and Sookie shot him a glare.  
"I don't want you here, Eric. You're just going to stir things up. People will know that something isn't right." She told him and he puffed up his chest a little.  
"I'll just say I'm your boyfriend." He told her and she laughed.  
"You better not. No one knows about me and Bill being over. If you go spreading lies like that, then I'll be known as a vampire whore!" She told him and he chuckled.  
"It won't be a lie for much longer." He told her and she sighed.  
"Whatever."

Sam shot Sookie a warning glance as the large vampire entered the bar. As he approached Sam, he wondered if they were going to have trouble again.  
"Hi there, I don't think we were ever introduced. I'm Eric Northman, sheriff of area 5." He told him, extending a hand. Sam took his hand and shook it.  
"Sam Merlotte, this is my bar." He told him and Eric nodded, before choosing a corner booth to sit in.

Although people were happy to see Sookie back, working in the bar, her large vampire friend was not exactly welcome. He sat, sipping on a bottle of A positive and watched Sookie intently.  
"Sook, why is he here?" Sam asked her as she was filling up some cokes.  
"He is keeping an eye on me, in case Bill comes after me." She lied and she wished that she didn't have to. But, telling Sam was just not a good idea.  
"Was it really that bad? I've never seen Bill as a violent person." He told her, furrowing his brows.  
"He's not a person." She told him and that shut him up.

Eric watched and marveled as Sookie served rude customer after rude customer. She was still only days old and she was dealing with guys slapping her ass in a calm manner. When Eric was freshly turned, he couldn't be less than ten miles for a city, or he would slaughter and massacre to his heart's delight. But Sookie was different. It seemed that she could just go on living like normal old Sookie.

Sookie wished Eric knew how much pain she was in. She was trying her hardest to keep her fangs in, which proved to be difficult, especially when she was surrounded by so many young men, with their necks exposed and their veins pumping with blood. She had to excuse herself a minute to go outside in the cool air and catch her breath.

Eric followed her out and found Sookie sat on the floor, her head in her hands.  
"It is so hard." She told him, smelling him there.  
"You're putting too much pressure on yourself. If you left now, you will have done better than any vampire your age in history." He told her.  
"Do I really have to feed?" She asked, looking up at him. He could see the blood tears welling in her eyes.  
"I don't want to bite anyone. But I'm going to have to, aren't I?" She asked, her head falling back into her hands.

Eric had never felt this level of compassion for anyone before. If Sookie was anyone else, he would tell them to vamp up and bite the next person that walked past. But Sookie was a good person, and she genuinely didn't want to hurt anyone. He sighed.  
"There is something else you can do, something that means you don't have to bite anyone."

Sookie told Sam that Bill had been spotted nearby.  
"You have already been such a help Sook. Go home and get some rest." He told her and she nodded, thanking him.

Eric drove this time, and seeing Eric's body, towering over 6 foot, driving Sookie's little car was enough to make her chuckle.  
"I'm sorry it is not your usual ferrari." She teased.  
"It could be." He told her, smiling over at her. Sookie shook her head.  
"I am Sookie Stackhouse, and this is a Sookie Stackhouse car. Some people are destined to drive maseratis and other fancy fast cars. I am just not one of them." She told him and he huffed, wishing he could at least buy her a more reliable car.

When they got to the hospital, Sookie was shocked.  
"I can't take blood meant for patients." She told him and he shook his head.  
"There is a doctor here, who runs a secret program, where willing people can donate their blood for vampire consumption." He told her and she wondered why anyone would want to donate their blood.  
"There are still some good people out there, Sook." He told her and she nodded, guessing there were.

The doctor was a slim man, with deep skin and short hair. He had thin wire glasses and a gold ring on his left pinky finger. He embraced Eric and shook Sookie's hand.  
"It's for me today." He told the doctor and he smiled, leading him down the corridor.  
"You do know that humans are not supposed to be down here, Sheriff." He told Eric and he looked back at me.  
"She is different. I trust her." He told him and the doctor nodded.

The room was the most disgusting yet delicious thing Sookie had ever seen. Walls and walls of blood, different types, divided into men and women, which parts of the body they were taken from.  
"I think I will take a male, around 25, strong, taken from the neck." He told the doctor, and as if it was a catalogue, he perused the bags and picked one out.  
"He came in today, large muscles and a good, strong frame." He told Eric. He held up the bag to the light, as if he was surveying a glass of wine.  
"Looks good. We'll take it." He told him. The cash was passed over, a thin stack of bills that Sookie couldn't tell were a little money or a small fortune.

They drove home without saying a word. Sookie laid her head against the car window and listened along to the late night radio and Eric stared out at the road and wondered how Bill could have left someone as special as her alone.

When they got back, Eric got three glasses out.  
"Jessica, come in here!" He called to her, as if he was man of the house. Sookie grimaced, not liking how comfortable he was becoming in her home.

He poured the three glasses, one more full than the others, and they all sat by the tv, playing an old black and white movie and sipped away. Eric wanted it to seem as normal as having cocktails with friends, he didn't want it to make her upset or angry. He had never given this much attention to anyone's feelings. He couldn't understand it, but when he looked at her, he wanted to rip Bill limb from limb.

Sookie sat and sipped on the blood. It was thick and coppery and tasted better than any chicken she had ever eaten. The logical side of her brain told her that it was disgusting and that she should put it down and never touch it again. But the rest of her brain was living in the moment, pumping endorphins around her body like she was on a morning jog.

Once Sookie finished the glass, she set it down on the table and felt a little bit of a sweat coming on.  
"Sookie, are you alright?" Jess asked and Sookie wiped her forehead.  
"Are vampires supposed to sweat?" She asked and Eric shook his head.  
"No, no they're not."

Sookie wiped the sweat from her forehead, and before she could even think, she stuck it in her mouth. It tasted like the sweetest candy she had ever tasted.  
"Oh my god, I am gross!" She almost gagged, when she realised what she had done.  
"Sookie, you smell so good." Eric told her, licking his lips. She wondered if the human blood was being converted into fae blood, or if it was being turned into vampire fuel. Either way, she had two vampires looking down at her as if she was the best meal they had ever seen.

Sookie backed up and told them not to even think about it.  
"I gotta go, else i'm going to end up doing something I regret, Sookie." Jess ran from the house.  
"I'm going to bed Eric. Thanks for the blood." She told him and he smiled down at her.  
"What are you?" He pondered and she chuckled.  
"I doubt we'll ever know."


	6. Warlow

Sookie's comment ran around Eric's head for days. "I'll doubt we'll ever know." He needed to know, so that he could protect her. He sent out anonymous emails, asking about what would happen if a fae was turned into a vampire. No one got back to him, until one of his sources sent him a reply.

 _Hello,_

 _This has only happened once in known history. His name was Warlow, and he was the child of Lilith. However, he has not been seen for thousands of years. It is said that he was the one who killed Lilith. So, if it is he that you are speaking of, I would pay great money for any information you have._

Warlow, Eric had heard of this character before. But he had thought him to be a creature of folklore, of legend. He had never thought that he had actually existed. But now, an expert in the field was telling him that Warlow was real and could still be out here. He wondered if there was any chance of finding this Warlow, and whether that would be a good or bad move.

Sookie decided that sleeping during the morning, when the sun was its most powerful, was the best for her health. She always felt so tired when she was out in the sun when it was beaming. So, she stayed in and snuggled up in her bed.

This had been working well, until she heard a knock on the door. She was going to leave it, until the knock persisted. She sighed and dragged herself out of bed. She padded along to the front door and opened it, revealing a handsome young man.  
"Hello." He greeted her, showing her a set of pearly white teeth.  
"Hi there, how can I help you?" She asked and sent out feelers to read his mind.  
 _I'm here to chat to you about being a fae, Sookie._ He thought and she took a step back.  
 _I'm not interested._ She thought back and he smiled in response.  
"Sookie, you must feel so alone, the only one of your kind." He smiled down at her.  
"But I can help you." He told her, opening his mouth and showing her his fangs.

Sookie stood there, mouth agape, for a moment. This man had fangs, but he was out in the sunlight, just like her. She couldn't miss this opportunity to find out more about herself.  
"Come in." She invited him in and they sat in the sitting room.  
"I felt it, when you were created, Sookie." He told her and she couldn't help but grin a little.  
"How?" She asked and he ran a hand through his hair.  
"My name is Warlow, and I am the only other fae like you Sookie." He told her and she tilted her head.  
"How can I trust you?" She asked and he extended a hand.  
"I will take you back to when I was created." Sookie placed her hand in his, wondering why she was trusting this man so much, and closed her eyes.

She was suddenly transported back to a village in a time that Sookie could not determine. She watched in horror as Warlow screamed out, as a vampire bit down on his neck.  
"Who is that?" She asked and he stated that the vampire was Lilith, the original vampire.  
"She made me kill my entire village, all of the fae. I slaughtered them all." She drew back from his hand now.  
"So you were fae?" She asked and he nodded.  
"I lived in the time when fae walked among humans on this plane." He told her.  
"But she, she turned me into a monster." His voice turned and Sookie realised that perhaps this was not the kind of guy that she should be trusting.

Sookie asked why Warlow had come.  
"I have waited so long, for another fae to be turned." He told her.  
"When you drink blood, Sookie, you convert it into fae blood. That is why you cannot live with vampires anymore." He told her and she stood, offended by his statement.  
"How dare you come into my home and tell me what I can and cannot do!" She spat at him.  
"Sookie, we belong together, you and I. You are so much better than these beasts. We can live together, live off of one another. We can bring down these monsters together." Sookie shook her head, not believing what she was hearing.  
"Get out." She told him, but when he stood, resolute, she took a deep breath.  
"I rescind your invitation." And he chuckled.  
"Not a human anymore, Sookie. That trick doesn't work." He told her and she felt the blood drain from her face.  
"Listen, I have all the time in the world. Take a few days, get your affairs in order, then I will be back for you." He told her and she was too shocked to be offended.  
"Oh, and before you think of siding with the vampires, they will only use you for your blood. They will do anything to walk in the sun." He told her and she led him to the door.

After Warlow left, Sookie laid in her bed for hours, staring up at the ceiling. She had so many unanswered questions. But now she knew that she was immortal, because Warlow's village looked older than some of the exhibits in the local museum. She didn't know if she could trust that he was the only other fae turned vampire. But what she couldn't stop thinking about was his comment on vampires. Did they only want her for her blood? Jessica certainly didn't and Eric seemed to care, but he changed like the wind.

Sookie returned to bed and pulled the covers over her head and slept. It wasn't like Sookie to deal with a situation like this, but this was not a normal Sookie situation.

Eric left as soon as the sun set.  
"You're leaving again?" Pam asked as he chugged a bottle of blood.  
"It is business. I will tell you about it soon." He told her. She knew he was going to Sookie, but she couldn't understand why. But, she liked to stay as far away from Sookie situations as she could, so she didn't ask anymore.

When Eric found Sookie, she was still in bed.  
"Sookie?" He asked, pulling away the covers a little. The sheets were covered in blood, her sleep shirt was covered in blood, it was as if she had poured a bucket of blood over herself.  
"Sookie!" He shook her awake, trying not to smell his hands, covered in fae blood.

Sookie awoke to Eric shaking her.  
"What?!" She slapped his hand off of her. She wondered why he was looking so uncomfortable, then, she looked down and gasped.  
"Oh for fuck sake." She shook her head and pushed past Eric to get to the bathroom.

Whilst Sookie was in the shower, Eric was left alone with her blood stained sheets. He knew it was wrong, he knew that he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. He touched the fabric and looked at the blood on his fingers.

He had never tasted full fae blood. He had drank from Sookie, when she was mortal, but she was only part fae. Now, her blood tasted like a combination of full fae and vampire, a deadly cocktail.

He had to leave. For the first time, he thought he was going to hurt Sookie. He couldn't hurt her, so he left before he could explain himself.

Sookie felt his thoughts, thumping within her own mind. She could feel the pleasure, the sheer ecstasy he felt from tasting her blood. She held her breath, until she realised that she didn't need to breathe - another unnatural realisation. She could feel his pain, his hunger, and then suddenly, he was gone.

As she dried off, she couldn't tell if she was glad or not that he had left. She wondered which camp she now belonged to. She had never been in the human camp, not really, then she had been in the fae camp for a little while, and now she resided in a camp that appeared to only have one other person, a person she feared, a person who made a shiver shoot up her spine.

When she emerged, Jess had left a note that she was heading out on the kitchen table. Sookie smiled, remembering that she no longer lived alone, but when she turned, she was scared out of her skin.  
"Christ Bill, what are you doing here?" She asked, as she saw him get up from the armchair in the living room.  
"Sookie, I have made so many mistakes." He started and she placed her hand up.  
"I don't wanna hear it." She told him and he sighed.  
"I must apologise to you." He told her and she rolled her eyes.  
"Too late for that now. I have a half vampire, half fae on my doorstep, threatening to kidnap me and you want to apologise? A little more would be nice." She huffed, shaking her head. She poured herself a glass of blood as Bill sat in shocked silence.  
"You met Warlow?" He asked, his eyes wide.  
"Oh, so he's not a fraud. Okay." She sighed, sipping her warmed blood.

Bill sat back and placed a hand over his mouth.  
"When did he come?" Bill asked and Sookie sat silent, not wanting to talk to him.  
"Sookie, this is not the time to play games with me." And she felt that awful responsibility that Jess was always talking about.  
"He came this morning." She told him and he nodded.  
"He is the only known creature like you that we have any knowledge of." He told her and she nodded.  
"Yep, he covered that." She told him and he shook his head.  
"He hasn't been seen for over 100 years." He told her and she shook her head.  
"He seemed pretty well adjusted to me. So you guys must be crap at looking." She told him, remembering him in his jeans and button down.  
"He didn't want to be found." He told her and she sat back a little.  
"Can you blame him? We are faerie vampire blood making machines. All that you guys will ever want from us is our blood." She told him and his brows furrowed.  
"Us?" He asked and Sookie felt herself blush.  
"Maybe I should go with him. I am not safe while I am surrounded by vampires, even Eric had to leave, cause he couldn't deal with my blood. I think it might actually be easier with him." She said and Bill shook his head.  
"Sookie, he will use you for his own plan." He told her.  
"And what are you planning to do? You're telling me you wouldn't feed on me to walk in the sun?" She asked and Bill couldn't honestly answer that question.  
"See? You're all going to use me, it just depends which device I want to be." She told him and shook her head.  
"You did all of this." She sighed and he stood.  
"We need to go to Eric." He told her and she shook her head.  
"I don't want to." Bill growled a little and pulled out his least favourite line.  
"Sookie, as your maker, I command you." And suddenly, Sookie was stood, pulling on her shoes.  
"Oh you mother fucker."

They drove in silence. Sookie didn't want to go to Fangtasia, she didn't want to feel like a real vampire in a seedy vampire bar. She thought back to Warlow and wondered if she found him handsome. He wasn't ugly, but then again, he wasn't exactly Eric. The minute she had that thought, she wanted to banish it. She couldn't run off with some ancient faerie, she didn't want to leave her house. They had to sort this out, there had to be something else they could do.

Eric could feel her before she entered the bar. He had caught a side glance from Pam, but he ignored her. He had never felt so alive before. The fae blood coursed through his veins and made him feel alive. It was similar to when he had fed on Sookie, but so much more intense. And all of that from one drop. Sookie was in serious danger, and he had to figure out a way to protect her.

They made their way past the pole dancing humans and the countless blood filled fangbangers, and Sookie finally realised why vampires loved Fangtasia so much, it was an attack on the senses, but a lustful, hungry attack.

Bill quickly hurried her to the back office. He couldn't believe that she had so much control for a newborn, but it seemed that if you were vampire fae, being a newborn was not as chaotic. Bill didn't have time to wonder if that was really true. He opened the door to Eric's office, for Sookie to enter.

Eric felt his fangs emerge when she entered the room. So this was something he was going to have to deal with now. She looked so delicious, so sensual, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.  
"Eric, Sookie has been visited by Warlow." Bill told him and he sat back and sighed.  
"I feared this would happen." Eric shook his head. "What did he say to you?" He asked Sookie and she told him what Warlow had said.  
"This is not good. We have to have someone there with you, to protect you during the day." He told her and she sighed.  
"So someone is going to have to use me as their personal blood bag, to stay in the sun?" She asked and Eric hadn't even thought of that. But once that option was put on the table, he couldn't stop thinking about it.  
"I am Sookie's maker, I will be the one to protect her." Bill announced and Sookie turned to him.  
"No, I don't want you." She told him and Bill felt the offense show on his face.  
"Bill, you couldn't stop when I was only part fae, I don't trust you feeding on me now that I am a vampire fae hybrid." She explained herself and Bill sighed.  
"Sookie, you really don't need me. You have Eric and you obviously are holding resentment towards me. As your maker, I release you."

Sookie and Eric stood, mouths agape. Sookie had not even seen that coming in Bill's thoughts. Eric could not hide his disgust.  
"I have never seen such piss poor siring, especially when it is such a unique case. Bill, get out of my sight." He cast Bill off and Sookie watched as he left.

She sat down for a moment and covered her mouth. A week ago they had been in a committed relationship, and now they were nothing, he had released her, without her asking him to and she couldn't help feeling rejected.

Eric let Sookie have a moment.  
"Sookie, I'm sorry." He sincerely apologised. Sookie shook her head.  
"He doesn't want the hassle, I understand." She told him and Eric shook his head, but did not comment further.

Pam came in then and sat beside Sookie.  
"You are different, Sookie. You're not your usual plain jane self." She smiled and Sookie chuckled.  
"Thank you, Pam." Eric told Pam what had happened to Sookie and she sat, wide eyed, and wondered how Eric had kept this from her.  
"You're a special little thing now, Sookie." She told her and Sookie felt a little nauseous, seeing the images in Pam's mind.  
"Thank you, Pam." Eric dismissed her and then looked to Sookie.

He knew that he had to be the one that stayed with Sookie during the day.  
"I can't bite you, Sookie." He told her, looking down at his hands.  
"I have strength, but not that much strength." He admitted and she nodded.  
"I respect you for telling me, maybe we could drain some into a glass?" She asked and Eric smiled up at her.  
"Yes, I think that could work."

Eric drove Sookie home in silence. She turned on the radio and sat back and hummed along. Eric wondered how she had remained so human.  
"I guess you're not really undead. You're just an immortal fae." He hypothesized. Sookie shrugged her shoulders and kept humming.

She didn't want to admit it, but what Bill had said had hurt. He had cast her off like she was an annoying friend. He had created this mess and then walked away from it, and it didn't really seem fair.  
"What was he like, Warlow?" Eric interrupted her moping.  
"He was very human, but also very fae, it is hard to describe. He left me with a dark, angry feeling." She told him and he nodded.  
"He is filled with rage towards vampires. He wants to exterminate them." She told him and he sighed.  
"Well that is worrying. He was the vampire who killed the first vampire, so he has no qualms about killing our kind." He told her and Sookie nodded, wondering how to process this information.  
"He said that vampires would use me for my blood." She told him and he nodded.  
"He's not wrong. That is why he went into hiding hundreds of years ago. But, with your fae talents, you are more powerful than a vampire. So, I wouldn't worry too much about us tying you down and harvesting you for blood." Sookie wondered if she was more powerful than Eric and that thought made her smile.

When they got back into the house, Sookie set out a knife and a glass.  
"I don't know why he wouldn't turn more fae, if he wanted to end vampires so much." Eric shook his head.  
"It would be counterproductive to turn more faes into vampires. They are already a dwindling species, so to turn more of them would mean less fae. And when it is stripped down, I think Warlow really does love his people." Sookie felt a little sorry for him when she heard this.  
"Why does it have to be so complicated?" She asked, before running the knife across her skin and watching her blood trickle into the glass.  
"How much do you think you will need?" She asked and he looked at the glass.  
"That should be enough, fae blood is very potent." He told her and she slid the glass over to him.

Eric looked down at the glass and reminded himself to savour this moment. He chugged the blood, licking the glass, and sat back, feeling the fae energy pulsing around his body.  
"Sookie, is this how you feel all the time?" He asked, his eyes wide.  
"I don't know, how do you feel?" She asked and he smiled.  
"Like sunlight is running through my veins, like I am filled with the love of my Mother." He told her and she smiled.  
"Maybe I have just gotten used to it."

Eric wanted to go out and run in the woods behind the house. So, Sookie sat with Jessica and told her about Bill.  
"He released you?" She asked and Sookie nodded, trying not to cry.  
"I guess I was just too much trouble." She shrugged her shoulders and Jessica furrowed her brows.  
"Sookie, you are the easiest newborn to deal with that I have ever met!" She told her and Sookie chuckled, and placed her hand on hers.  
"Thank you." She smiled.  
"I will never get used to you still being warm." She smiled and Sookie sighed.  
"There's a lot to get used to."


	7. Vamp in the Sun

Sookie laid in bed and wondered what was going to happen to Eric. He had been out running for hours and she worried what effect the fae-vamp blood would have on him. As she felt herself dozing off, she heard the door open. She sighed and got out of bed, wondering if it would be Eric, Bill or Warlow. She couldn't decide which would make her more angry. When she saw Eric, stood naked, in her living room, she sighed.  
"Sookie, how are you living with this nectar pumping through your body?" He asked, eyes wide. She shook her head and gave him a blanket.  
"Cover yourself, while I find you something to wear." She told him, shaking her head.

She found him one of Jason's old hoodies and a pair of sweatpants.  
"I'm going back to bed, Eric." She told him and he nodded.  
"I should sleep too, as I'm going to be up during the day." He told her and Sookie couldn't help smiling, seeing the giddy, excited look on his face.  
"Well, alright then. You can sleep in here, if you want?" Eric cocked an eyebrow.  
"What other option do I have?" He asked and she huffed.  
"You can sleep on the floor, if you want?" She asked and he chuckled, shaking his head, guessing he had tried his luck.

Sookie went back to bed and wondered how life had become so strange. Eric wouldn't be able to coop up with her forever and protect her from Warlow. She was going to be alone and vulnerable at some point in time. She had to find more answers.

It was still dark out when Sookie snuck out of the house. She had to go to the Doctor that had helped her with her Maenad poison, Dr Ludwig. She hopped in her car and drove out to Fangtasia, a wad of cash in her car, that she had been given by Eric for a job she had done for him.

Pam was confused when Sookie turned up, asking where she could find Dr Ludwig.  
"I need answers." She told her and Pam sighed.  
"Don't you always?" She asked, giggling, before handing her the address and leaving her alone. Pam knew what to leave alone, and Sookie was most definitely one of those things.

Sookie drove out into the middle of nowhere, where she found the small, rickety house.  
"Now, what are you doing here?!" The doctor shouted over the wind.  
"I need some advice!" She called out and Dr Ludwig invited her in.

The house was small and quaint, with little trinkets hung here and there. Ludwig brewed a mug of tea, surprisingly hospitable, compared to her usual grumpy self.  
"I have been waiting for you." She smiled up and Sookie and she wondered how Dr Ludwig had known about her.  
"When something like you is created, the earth trembles, and I felt it." She told her and Sookie felt the blood drain from her face.  
"You want to know how to deal with the old one, don't you?" She asked and Sookie nodded.  
"There is something that Warlow doesn't know. Something that my family, that generations back were fae, kept secret." Sookie pulled out her wad of cash.  
"Save that for later child." She shook her head and motioned for her to come in closer.  
"You can turn vampires." She whispered and Sookie was unsure what she meant.  
"What do you mean?" She asked and Ludwig laughed.  
"You can make them Fae hybrids." She told her.  
"So why hasn't Warlow done it?" She asked, wondering if the doctor was lying to her.  
"Because he doesn't know how." She told her and Sookie wondered if it was possible to turn a vampire fae.  
"How do you do it?" She asked and Ludwig smiled.  
"It is all in the blood." She told her and Sookie leant in.  
"You must replace their blood with yours. Cut their supply of human blood, and feed them only fae blood. Their body will change, they will become hybrids." She told her.  
"So they could travel into the fae realm?" She asked and Ludwig sat back.  
"That is why you must never turn a vampire you do not trust. Which might mean you can never turn a vamp." She shrugged her shoulders.

Sookie was shocked. She had never considered being able to turn a vamp into a fae.  
"How would this help against Warlow?" She asked.  
"At the moment, you are the only two creatures of your kind. But, if you turn a vamp fae, well then, there won't be two of you will there?" She smiled and Sookie wondered if it would work, if turning a vampire fae would cause Warlow to at least stop fixating on their romantic relationship.  
"How will I know when they are turned?" She asked and Ludwig sat back and chuckled.  
"You will know. The ground will shake as it did with you." She told her and Sookie left her the whole stack.

Eric panicked when he awoke. Firstly, it was the first time he had been awake in the sunlight for a thousand years, and secondly, he could feel that Sookie wasn't in the house. He checked outside, her care was gone. He began to panic. Had he already failed? Had he slept through Sookie's abduction? He began to sweat, then he panicked that he was sweating.

Whilst Eric was in this panicking mess, Sookie pulled up. Eric rushed out of the house.  
"Where did you go?" He asked, taking her hand and dragging her into the house.  
"I went to someone who actually helped."

Sookie and Eric sat in the kitchen. Light poured in from the window, and Eric thought he might cry.  
"How does it feel?" Sookie asked, while frying up some bacon.  
"I have not been this happy in a thousand years." He told her and she had to stop then, wondering how sad the life of a vampire could be.

She sat down and raised an eyebrow as Eric was sniffing around her bacon.  
"You wanna try some?" She asked and he wondered if he should. He was not Sookie, he only had some of her blood. But he couldn't help laying the bacon on his tongue and chewing it, feeling the flavours burst in his mouth.

Sookie was shocked that he was so quiet, but this must have all been so new for him. She couldn't imagine the emotions that he was feeling.  
"Eric, what if I told you I could turn you?" She asked him and he leant forward.  
"Turn me fae? I've never heard of it." He told her.  
"I can do it, or at least try it, if you let me. That is, if you want it?" She asked and he sat back and wondered what his life would be like if he could walk in the sun and eat food.  
"It sounds too good to be true." He told her, sceptical of the idea.  
"Well, the thing is, it would stop Warlow from having his dream of us being together. If there is another male fae vampire, then we are not the only two." She told him and Eric nodded along.  
"Does that mean I would be able to be with you?" He asked and she sighed.  
"I don't know Eric." She told him and he sat back and wondered.  
"Every vampire I know would want this. How easy is it?" He asked and Sookie explained the process.  
"That doesn't sound too bad. Why don't you try me first, and then we could maybe turn Jessica and Pam, if she wants it. If you have a circle of vampires who can be with you during the day, then you are far safer." Sookie had never considered this. But it wasn't a bad idea.

It wasn't a quick process. Sookie would give Eric three glasses of blood a day. He had put Pam in charge of the club, knowing that he would drink human blood if he went there, and they would be at square one again.

He felt wonderful. He asked Sookie to drive him to her favourite places, that were open during the day. They went to a pie shop, where Eric tried his first bite of pie, and found he very much enjoyed it. They went to the local garden centre and Eric helped Sookie pick out flowers and plant them in her garden. As his back was facing the sun, feeling the heat, he thought he might cry, knowing that he would be able to live this way soon.

Sookie watched him as she dragged him around to all of her favourite places. She worried that people would recognise him. But in some of Jason's jeans and a plaid shirt, he didn't look much like Eric at all.

She watched him as he was on his knees, planting her flowers. It was selfless, the most selfless thing she had ever seen him do. She wondered if maybe being with him was better than being with Warlow, and decided that it definitely was.

They sat after dinner, where Sookie had steak and chips, with a bottle of true blood, and Eric had one of her chips and a glass of fae blood, and watched a movie. It was some cheesy rom com that Sookie had seen before, but Eric found it oddly fascinating.

Sookie was getting tired. In a brave move, she laid her head on Eric's lap and closed her eyes. Eric gasped a little when he felt Sookie's head on his lap. But he welcomed it, as if it was normal, and stroked her hair, as she fell asleep.


	8. Fae Family

Eric let her sleep, laying his head back on the sofa, his eyes falling shut. When Jessica got home, she stopped in her tracks and looked down at the two, fast asleep, looking as comfortable as Jessica had ever seen them. She smiled and wondered what would have happened if it had been Bill looking after Sookie. She supposed that it would not have been the best of scenarios.

Eric awoke with the sun, to find a man stood in the living room, looking down at him.  
"You must be Warlow." He felt his fangs jut out as he felt the faerie energy surrounding the silent vampire heart.  
"And who might you be?" He asked, looking down with eyes full of rage. He stood, awaking Sookie.  
"I'm Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5." He held out a hand and they shook, as Sookie watched on in horror.

Warlow seemed in better spirits this visit. He sat with Sookie and Eric in the living room and smiled as he sipped his True Blood.  
"So, Eric, what are you?" Warlow asked and Eric looked to Sookie, wondering what he should say. Sookie knew that Warlow knew that Eric wasn't fully vampire, she could hear the suspicion in his thoughts. She kept hers as guarded as possible, not wanting him to read her mind.  
"Eric is my lover. He is only out in the sun because he fed on me." She told him and Eric felt his mouth fall agape.

Warlow shook his head, disappointed with Sookie.  
"What did I tell you Sookie? They will use us until we have nothing left." He sighed. Sookie took Eric's hand and looked down at Warlow.  
"You don't understand. You see them all as monsters, but they're not." She told him and he chuckled in a way that made Sookie's spine quiver.  
"I am the child of the original vampire, Sookie. I think I know these creatures a little better than you do." He told her and she shook her head.  
"So, if you were the first, then why did you create more? If you hate us so much?" She asked and he sighed.  
"Loneliness is an awful thing, Sookie. I tried, for hundreds of years, to live alone. But it became too much. I fell in love with a mortal. Her name was Elspeth, she was beautiful, and she volunteered every morning to walk down to the well to collect water. She was so kind and loving, I fell for her almost instantly. But she changed, when I turned her. She didn't have the restraint that we fae hybrids do." He looked into his glass, and for a moment, Sookie felt sorry for him.  
"She had a strength I could not comprehend. But still, I loved her. Even as she created more and more human vampires, creating more and more destruction, I couldn't see it."

Sookie and Eric sat in silence, unsure what to say.  
"I created this mess. But I will be the one to end it." He said, the sinister lilt in his voice.  
"How?" Sookie asked, without thinking.  
"We walk in the day, Sookie. We can stake every last one of them." He told her.  
"Then what happens to us?" She asked. He smiled up at her and Eric clamped his hand down on Sookie's thigh.  
"We will go back to our home, the fae realm, where we belong." Sookie couldn't help laughing.  
"That is not my home." She shook her head.  
"Sookie, our ancestors retreated there for peace. We shall do the same." He told her and she shook her head.  
"What happens if I say no?" She asked, he smiled up at her.  
"I won't take you by force, Sookie. But you will be mine. I have all the time in the world and you will realise that I am the only one who you belong with." He told her and stood.  
"Here is where I am staying. You need to really think about what you want and what these vampires are giving you, Sookie. Call me." He told her, handing her a card before he left.

Sookie left a stunned Eric to shower. She wondered how they were going to deal with Warlow. He was right, he had all of the time in the world. The sun didn't kill him, silver didn't burn him. She supposed a stake to the heart was the only option. She didn't want to do it, but she knew she had to. And with Eric at her side, his ancient strength, with her fae powers, she wouldn't be in harm's way.

Jessica and Sookie went to work that night, while Eric summoned Pam, knowing he could not be in Fangtasia.  
"What is going on with you, you're different." Pam asked, as he invited her into Sookie's home.  
"I met him, Warlow." He told her and she sat down.  
"The child of Lilith?" She asked and he nodded his head.  
"What is he like?" Pam asked, more interested than Eric had suspected.  
"He appears to be like any other vamp. But there is a strange fae energy that palpitates off of him. I don't like it." He told her then sighed a litte, realising that that was going to be him soon.  
"What is going on Eric? You're not like yourself." She cocked her head to the side.  
"I have walked in the sun, Pam." He told her and her eyes widened.  
"What was it like?" She asked. He felt the blood welling in his eyes.  
"Like a warm embrace from a mother I have not seen for thousands of years." He told her and she sat back and enjoyed the sight of her maker crying, not having seen it often.

They sat in silence for a moment.  
"I am going to live in the sun, Pam." He told her. Pam felt herself lean forward.  
"Now why would you do that?" She asked and he sighed.  
"There is a war coming, Pam. Warlow has plans to destroy us all. He can walk in the light, as can Sookie and he has plans for them to stake vamps during the day." He told her and she groaned.

Pam asked how Eric was going to live in the sun.  
"Sookie can turn me. Replace my vamp blood with fae vamp blood. Then we can fight together, against Warlow." He told her and she felt her eyes widen.  
"You're not going to be a night creature anymore." She said with a sad realisation.  
"Pam, if this works, I want to turn you as well. I want you to join our forces." He told her. Pam sighed and shut her eyes.  
"That is a lot to ask of me." She told him and he nodded.  
"I know, but would you not want to walk in the sun? Be able to choose if you live in the day or night?" He asked and Pam had to admit that it sounded tempting.  
"We'll just wait to see how it works for you first." She told him and he nodded.

When Sookie returned home, she could smell that Pam had been in the house.  
"Sookie, I need to talk to you about the future." Eric told her, whilst she poured herself a glass of true blood.  
"Can it wait Eric? I'm tired." She told him, sitting down, finally resting her feet after a long shift.  
"I want you to turn Jessica." He told her and Jessica was there then, sat at the table.  
"Turn me into what?" She asked and Eric explained that Sookie could turn her into a fae vamp.  
"Oh Sookie, would you? I would pay anything to walk in the sun again!" She held both of her hands.

Sookie looked down at Jessica's hopeful eyes.  
"This is what Warlow was talking about." She shook her head. She stood and left the two, as Eric sighed and shook his head. She was right, he was using her as a blood bank, but it was for her own good.

Jessica could not stop thinking about the possibility of walking in the sun again. Eric told her that he would sort things out with Sookie, but she was so excited by the idea that she couldn't concentrate on anything else.

Eric knocked on Sookie's bedroom door.  
"Sookie, I only said you should turn Jessica, because there are going to be times when I am not here. It is for your own protection." He told her as she pulled on her pyjamas.  
"Eric, I saw it in your mind, your little army of fae vamps. Is this all you wanted me for? For my blood?" She asked and shook her head.  
"Warlow is the most powerful vampire out there. We need to have a defense." He told her.  
"I am not a blood bag, Eric." She told him sternly.  
"You don't have to be! You turn me, I turn Pam, Pam can turn Jessica. Then we have a small group of fae vamps to protect you." He told her and she became a little more comfortable with the idea.  
"What about Bill?" She asked and Eric cocked his head to the side.  
"What about Bill?" He asked and Sookie sighed.  
"Jessica is still his child. What do you think will happen once she is turned? Also, what do we say when Jessica starts going to lunch with Hoyt and Pam is seen in the mall during the day?" She asked and these were all problems Eric had to think about.  
"I don't know yet. All I do know is that once Warlow catches on, he will start turning vamps fae too. So, we need to have an edge on him."  
"Why would Warlow turn vamps fae if he hates vampires?" Eric sighed as he watched Sookie climb into bed.  
"Because he wants power, but he is also loney, so the chance that he could make his own entourage would be too good to miss for him." He told her and she shook her head.  
"Let's just see if it works with you first. I left your glass in the fridge." She told him and he turned to leave, but stopped.  
"Sookie, I want to feed on you tonight." He told her. She sat up and wondered if that was a good idea.  
"I need to feel your essence, your energy." He told her. "You will be able to fight me off, as I have less blood in me." He added and she sighed.  
"Alright then. But only a little, don't get carried away."

Sookie held out her arm, but Eric pushed it down, before sitting beside her on the bed. He took her neck in his hands and she could sense how excited he was. When he bit down on her, it was like a drug. It was more potent than the first time, but more than anything, he could feel it combining with the blood in his system, the fae blood, he could feel himself changing.

Sookie left it a few more seconds before she removed him from her neck. The blood had affected him differently this time. Eric was drowsy, as his eyes drooped closed.  
"I suppose you're sleeping here tonight." She let him lay down and laid down, facing away from him. She wondered what her future was going to hold. Was she going to be the mother of a new race? Was she going to be with Eric? Did she want that? She didn't know. There were so many questions and she wondered which were within her control, and which weren't.


	9. New Creature

Sookie awoke in the middle of the night. She bolted upright and immediately looked over to check on Eric. When she found an empty bed she shook her head. She was unsure if what she was feeling was what Dr Ludwig had described, but it felt as if she was experiencing some great moment in time. It was as if she was sat, feeling hundreds of sunrises at the same time.

As she ran around the house, looking for Eric, she had the horrible feeling that he might have travelled into the fae world. If Eric was in fact fae now, she had an awful feeling that the temptation for fae blood would be too strong.

But, before that thought ran away with itself, she found Eric, stood out in the backyard, arms crossed over his chest, looking at the moon.  
"Eric." She called to him, puffing from running around like a headless chicken. He turned and smiled to her.  
"Sookie, something has happened." He told her, sending her one of his rare, genuine smiles.  
"I think you are a fae now." She told him and he nodded his head.  
"I think you might be right. I feel totally different." He told her and she wondered if this was a good thing or a bad thing.  
"Eric, I have to tell you, you can't go into the fae world. Ever." She told him and he nodded.  
"I want to leave the fae alone as much as possible."

Sookie wondered what powers would come with Eric's new fae status.  
"Eric, can you hear me?" She sent the thought over to him and Eric turned to her, with shock on his face.  
"Oh, now that is fun." He smiled and she sighed, placing a hand over her face, chuckling a little.

Eric couldn't help it. He walked over and embraced Sookie.  
"Thank you, Sookie. You have changed my whole existence! I will be able to go out in the day, you don't know how much that means to me." He told her and she nodded.  
"You're welcome." She took his thanks and laid her head against his chest.

Jessica had been out all evening, when she returned, she felt like she lived in a candy store. It smelt so sweet, and she realised with glee that Eric's transformation must have been a success.

They all sat down in the living room and Jessica asked how Eric felt, and he said to her that he felt less human than when he was vampire, but more magical, which caused Sookie to roll her eyes.  
"Before, when I was drinking Sookie's blood, it was all temporary. But now, I have my own fae blood, I am a fae, which is something I never thought I would say." Jessica looked up at Eric and smiled, he was glowing, blood flushing his cheeks. He looked human, even if he didn't feel it.  
"Sookie, I know you said that you didn't want to turn me. But please reconsider, I want to be able to help you, when Warlow comes." She said.

Sookie looked at Jessica, pleading and begging. It wasn't that she didn't want to turn her, it was just that she didn't know where it would stop. If she turned Jessica, then surely Bill would want to get turned, and then Pam and then who knows who else.  
"I will turn her." Eric sent over the thought to Sookie. She looked over at him and he nodded. Sookie saw in his eyes that he thought it was the right decision to turn Jessica, and Sookie loved her, and wanted to see her happy, in the sun.  
"I will turn you Jessica, but first I need you to get Bill to break his bond with you." Jessica nodded, she was so over the moon that she was going to be able to walk in the sun again, but she knew it was going to be difficult to convince Bill to release her.  
"Okay."

Eric and Sookie were left alone then.  
"Do you really think it is a good idea to turn more vampires?" Sookie asked and Eric took her hand.  
"Sookie, we are improved vampires. Imagine, you could be the first fae to transform the vampire race. I already feel I have more control, I can walk in the sun, do you not see how this could benefit vampire kind?" He asked her and she sighed. She giggled then, feeling the lust come from Eric's mind.  
"Sookie, you could be the mother of a new race, an improved race that could save so many humans." He told her and she nodded.  
"I know. Are you going to turn Pam?" She asked and Eric sighed.  
"I want to, but I won't against her will." He told her and Sookie nodded.  
"Well, you better go and ask her before the sun rises." She told him and he nodded, kissing her on the cheek, before leaving.

Jessica sat in Bill's living room.  
"It is so nice to see you, Jessica." He said as he passed her a bottle of blood and sat opposite her.  
"Bill, I am here to ask you to release me." She stated simply and Bill felt his heart break a little.  
"Jessica, why?" He asked, leaning forward.  
"I have a new plan for my life, another option, but you can't be my maker for me to follow it." She told him. He sat back and sighed, it was all very vague.  
"Is this something to do with Sookie?" He asked, wondering what she was doing in that house.  
"Did you not feel it?" She asked, wondering if Bill had felt the ground shake when Eric had been created.  
"Jessica, what is Sookie doing?" He asked, and she told him about Eric.  
"Eric is fae now?" He asked in shock and Jessica nodded.  
"Bill, I want to walk in the sun, I want to have Sookie's control, I want to eat food again, and Sookie can give me all of that." She told him, tears coming to her eyes.

Bill looked at his child and knew that he could not deny her. How could he deny any vampire the chance to walk in the sun forever? He sighed and took a long swig of his blood.  
"Sookie has said she will turn you?" He asked and she nodded.  
"But she didn't want you to be involved." Jessica said and then regretted it.  
"Bill, I'm sorry." She shook her head and he shrugged his shoulders.  
"No, don't be. I messed all of this up. It seems that Sookie is dealing with everything quite well." He told her.  
"Jessica, I want you to be happy. As your maker, I release you." He told her and Jessica felt the bond snap. She stood up and embraced her maker.  
"Thank you, Bill." She squeezed him and then ran off, back to Sookie's house.

Sookie heard Jessica's mind, loud and clear. She had been released. She wondered when Bill had become so feeble, so weak. She sighed and shook her head, warming a glass of blood to drink, before pouring a glass of her own blood for Jessica.

When Jessica got in, she was greeted by Sookie holding out a glass of blood.  
"Here you go." She told her. They sat on the sofa and Jessica sipped on the blood, her eyes widening every time.  
"So, you can't leave the house for the five or six days it will take." She told her.  
"Why not?" She asked and Sookie told her that it only works when you only consume fae blood.  
"So no more human blood for a while." She told her and Jessica nodded.  
"Also, I'm sorry Jessica, but no more Hoyt for a little while." She told her and Jessica looked up, shocked.  
"You will be tempted to feed on him, and for the time being, I want as few people to know as possible. Give it a little while, tell him you're on a retreat or something, and we will work it out, okay?" She asked her and Jessica nodded, it was worth it to be able to walk in the sun again.

Eric knew it was too risky, going to Fangtasia. He was a fae now, vampire bait. So, he called Pam and met her in the forest.  
"Stay back." He commanded her, knowing that if she got a good enough whiff of him, she might lose control, and he didn't want to fight her.

Pam cocked her head to the side. Something was different.  
"What happened?" She asked and he smiled down at her.  
"Pam, it worked, I'm no longer just vampire." He told her. She approached, knowing she could control herself. She smelt him and thought she might cry, he didn't smell like Eric anymore.  
"Pam, I want this for you." He told her and she sneered.  
"You think you're so much better, now that you're like Sookie?" She asked, chuckling.  
"Pam, I can walk in the sun!" He told her and she shrugged it off.  
"I never used to walk in the sun anyway." She reminded him. He huffed.  
"You are being so ungrateful." He told her and she took a step back.  
"Just because you wanted to be this new thing, does not mean that I want to be. I am a vampire, and I want to stay that way." She told him. He sighed and shook his head.  
"I don't know if I can still be your maker if you make this choice, Pam. I am going to start living in the sun more. How will I be able to keep an eye on you?" He asked and she huffed.  
"How will you run the bar? How will you be the Sheriff? Are you going to give up on all of that?" She asked. He shook his head.  
"No Pam, I will make it work. But I have gained far more than I have lost." He told her.

Pam stood in silence, in disbelief of what her maker was asking of her.  
"I'll give you some time. Come to Sookie's if you want to be turned. If not, then I will have to release you. I'm sorry Pam, it's just how it is." He told her, before disappearing into the night.

Pam returned to Fangtasia and looked around. Thirsty vamps glamouring fang bangers, scared tourists cowering in the corners. She wondered if maybe it was time to move onto something different. When she was mortal, she had never had the chance to live in the sun, maybe now was her opportunity.  
"Oh for fuck sake." She shook her head, not wanting to prove Eric right.

Eric knew it wouldn't be long until people came asking questions, so he decided to enjoy his break until that happened. He sat with Sookie and Jessica, whilst they all sipped on blood and watched some TV show that Jessica used to enjoy. Eric loved being able to read Sookie's mind at times, because he could feel the inner battle going on between her lust and her hatred for him. He wondered how long it would take for the lust to take over, and he would sit back and wait until it did.

Everyone turned when the front door slammed. Pam was stood, with her suitcase.  
"Someone show me my room then." She sighed. Eric smiled and Sookie wondered how many more vampires she was going to have to house.


	10. I Want You

Pam was not best pleased with the knowledge that she would either be sleeping on the floor, or in the bed in the cubby with Jessica. She opted to nussle in with Jessica the first night, much to the vampire's resentment. Jessica didn't mind Pam, but she didn't want to be her little spoon.

This found Eric and Sookie heading to Fangtasia to pick up Pam's bed. Eric had been sleeping in Sookie's bed since he was turned, a fact that no one liked to point out. He had been a gentleman, as much of a gentleman as Eric could ever be and Sookie was impressed, but also a little insulted.

Eric had never seen this side of Sookie before, little denim shorts, ponytail bouncing, skin glowing from the sun. He felt mesmerised by her. He took her to a milkshake place near Fangtasia, wanting to take her on dates he had never been able to before.

Sookie shuddered as Eric glamoured the waitress, who recognised him. Sookie wondered where she had recognised him from and shivered.  
"You're stressed." He noticed as he watched her sip on a peanut butter shake, staring down at his red velvet milkshake.  
"He is still out there, waiting for me to change my mind, to join his side." She told him.  
"Do you think he will come back? To see me?" He asked and Sookie nodded.  
"Oh, definitely. He will have felt you being created and will no doubt be back." Eric shuddered at the thought of Warlow returning.  
"I don't know what his reaction will be." She told him and he shrugged.  
"Worst comes to worst, we have three vampires and two vamp faes. I think we'll be fine." He told her and she looked up confused.  
"Three?" She asked and Eric chuckled, swallowing his milkshake.  
"Bill might be pathetic, but I am sure that he would come to your rescue if he knew you were in trouble." Sookie nodded, guessing he was right.

They sat there for another hour and Sookie stayed silent. She wondered why Eric was not being like normal Eric. He wasn't being sexual, he was sleeping in a bed with her every night but never made a move. She felt ugly. Even though she tried not to, she did.

Eric noticed a shift in Sookie as she sat and slurped on her shake. He tried to read her mind, but she had built a solid wall around her thoughts. As they walked out to her car, he grabbed her hand and stopped her.  
"Tell me what is wrong." He insisted and she huffed and pulled her hand out of his.  
"Sookie." He called out to her as she huffed off. He smirked then, deciding to go full vamp Eric.

Sookie cried out as Eric threw her over his shoulder and ran her back to Fangtasia. He sat her down in a chair and found some rope and tied it around her before she could think. He crouched down in front of her then and looked her in the eye.  
"You're going to tell me what your problem is." He told her and she huffed, wanting to be stubborn. He sat back on his desk and smiled down at her.  
"I have all day." He told her.

Sookie sat in the chair in silence. She couldn't imagine anything more embarrassing than having to admit not feeling wanted by Eric, it was mortifying. So, she sat and said nothing, as he read through paperwork and made notes.

Eric felt a little sleepy as the day crawled on. Sookie had warned him of this, that he would feel sleepy a couple of hours before sunset. He continued reading his notes on policy, until an image of him, bending Sookie over his desk filled his mind. His head snapped up and he saw Sookie sleeping, it was the only time when her thoughts were unguarded. She wanted him, finally after all this time he could confirm that she wanted him. He smiled, having this knowledge and keeping it tucked away firmly in his mind.

Sookie was shocked to feel Eric untying her.  
"We're leaving?" She asked and he nodded.  
"We need to get back for Pam and Jessica." He told her and she nodded.  
"What about my car?" She asked and he shook his head.  
"I will ask Ginger to bring it over tomorrow. We don't have time tonight." He told her and she sighed and he shot her a warning glance.

Sookie fell asleep in the car and Eric could feel the disappointment palpitate from Sookie. He could see in her mind that she had expected him to torture the information out of her. But, he had untied her and let her go. He smiled, hatching a plan that she would find even more erotic.

Pam sat with Jess on the sofa, in matching pyjamas - a gift that Pam had given Jess as a once off.  
"Don't you two look cute." Sookie smiled.  
"Well we're going to be fairy blood drinking buddies for the next few weeks, we might as well look good doing it." She told Sookie, smiling a little as she saw her coffin being brought in.

Sookie and Eric stood, with two glasses and two knives and fill their glasses.  
"It's like we're feeding our children." He told her.  
"Please don't say that." She shuddered and he chuckled.

Once Jessica was all set with her meal, Sookie went off to bed.  
"I'm super tired. Make yourselves at home." She told them. Jessica and Pam watched as Eric followed Sookie.  
"So that is what is happening?" Pam asked, unsurprised. Jessica caught eyes with her and giggled.

Sookie could feel Eric following her. But she still cried out when he pinned her to the bed and tied her feet and wrists to the bedpost before she could even think.  
"Eric, stop this." She shook her head. But Eric was just warming up.

He stood in the corner of the room and smiled to himself.  
"Fall asleep if you want, I like the thoughts you have when you're asleep." He told her and she gasped.  
"Stay out of my fucking head!" She told him, wanting to spit at him.  
"Oh but Sookie, your thoughts are so delicious, I can't control myself." He told her and she sighed.  
"How can I fall asleep when you have tied me up like this? I already let you sleep in my bed, what else do you want?" She asked and he chuckled.  
"I need you to say it." He told her and she huffed.  
"Say what?" She asked and he smiled.  
"Tell me you want me." He demanded and she remained silent.  
"I know you want me, Sookie, you can't hide it. But, I need to hear you say it." He told her and she shook her head.  
"Can I have a pillow, so I can at least try to get some sleep?" She asked and he chuckled.  
"Of course." He was right next to her ear now and her breath caught in her throat.  
"Just say it Sookie." He whispered in her ear.  
"No." She told him sternly.  
"You're pride is not becoming, Sookie." He told her and she laughed.  
"What about your pride?" She asked and he was on top of her now.  
"I have no pride when it comes to you, Sookie. I will tell you everything I want to do to you, and you do to me, if you want that?" He asked and she stuttered.  
"No thank you." Her voice was breathy.  
"Come on, Sookie. Make this easier for you and me." He told her and she shook her head.  
"So you can have sex with me and then find another vamp you like to make like me. Face it, all you like me for is my blood." She told him and he climbed off of her then, untying her.

Sookie looked around and Eric was gone. She sighed and threw her head against the pillow, wishing that things could be simple. Would they have been easier if Sookie had told the truth and said that she wanted Eric? Or was it better for her to wait for him to woo her? She didn't know.

The next day, Sookie awoke and Eric wasn't there. The whole reason that she had turned him was to protect her from Warlow, but he had gone off somewhere. It seemed that Jess and Pam were sticking to their nocturnal schedules for the time being. So, she went to the one place she felt safe in that moment: Fangtasia.

Eric sat in his dungeon and looked at all of his equipment. He wanted to burn it all, thinking about all of the women he had been there with. He wanted to rebuy it all, with Sookie. He wanted to show her the toys and let her choose, but that would never happen until she could get past the idea of Eric only liking her for her blood. He let his head fall into his hands, he had trusted her to turn him into another creature and still she didn't trust him.

Sookie sat with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that Ginger had hooked her up with. Sookie couldn't ignore the sadness she could feel from Eric. She hadn't thought he was genuine. But when she thought of all that he had done, all that he had gone through, just because she had asked him to, she felt bad for not trusting him. He wanted her, she could see it through everything he did.

Eric flinched as he heard the door to the dungeon slam. Sookie stomped down the stairs and stood in front of Eric, ignoring the sex gear.  
"I want you." She told him and he stood, looking at her in silence.  
"I want you to fuck me." She elaborated. Eric began to walk towards her.  
"What else?" He asked in a voice that appeared to seek emotional support.  
"I want to wake up next to you." She told him and saw a darkness pool in his eyes.  
"I want to cook with you, bake with you. I want to be your favourite person." She told him, setting her pride aside. She hadn't fully admitted she wanted those things, until she said them outloud.

Eric collided with her then, hands in her hair, his face in the nape of her neck.  
"Oh Sookie." He breathed in her scent and then delicately pressed his lips against hers.

Sookie had expected him to pin her down on the dirty ground of the dungeon. But, instead, he picked her up and threw her into her little yellow car and drove her all the way home. Sookie grinned like a schoolgirl on the way home, an expression that Eric enjoyed massively.

When they got back, he threw her over his shoulder and strode into her bedroom.  
"Do you know how many nights I have laid her and had to control myself? How many times you cuddled into me and I had to suppress what I felt?" He asked, slapping her rear end.

Sookie cried out as Eric threw her down on the bed and in the sunlight, in the bed where he had become a fae, Eric opened Sookie's eyes to a world of pleasure that she had never experienced before. It lasted for hours, an onslaught of pleasure.

Once they were finished, Eric brushed a hair away from Sookie's face.  
"I've wanted to do that for a very long time." He told her and she smiled.  
"Back at you." She smiled up at him. It was the first time that Sookie had seen Eric look so soft, so caring.  
"Do you know, it was not what you said about fucking that I liked so much." He told her and she raised her eyebrows.  
"It was the other part, about wanting to be my favourite person and wanting to wake up next to me. No one has ever wanted that, not for a long time, anyway." He told her and she went red.  
"I want to give you the world, Sookie. You gave me the sun, no one will ever surpass that for me." He told her and she chuckled and shook her head, resting her head on Eric's chest and falling asleep. Eric breathed in the scent of her hair and vowed to himself that he would prove worthy of Sookie.


	11. New Faeries

Sookie woke up Pam and Jess after sunset and wondered what was wrong with them.  
"I feel so groggy." Jess told Sookie.  
"It is a lot, the first time you drink fae blood. We all react differently." He told them. Pam always felt drowsy when she drank from Eric, but this was something else.

They sat on the sofa, ice packs on their foreheads and watched television.  
"I have never wanted to watch television before, but I can't stand to sit in silence." Pam groaned. Jess sighed and placed her head against Pam's shoulder. Sookie and Eric watched on, worried that a fight was about to kick off. But Pam just sat and closed her eyes, letting Jessica lay on her.

Eric went to sort out the bar that night.  
"With both me and Pam here, there is no one to run the bar. I'm going to have to call in some other vamps to help out." He told her and she nodded. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before he left and she felt a warmth grow inside of her.

Bill had never felt so lonely in his life. He couldn't go to Sam's, because everyone glared at him with disdain. Word must have gotten out about Sookie. Although he hoped it wasn't the full truth, else she would be in a lot of danger.

He frequented the local nests, but they just made him feel less human. He thought about Eric and felt the green fire of envy burn in his stomach. He had profited from his mistakes, he had Sookie, the sun, Jessica, and Bill was left with no one, playing his Wii golf game in the dark, with a bottle of O neg.

Bill had never felt true depression, but in this moment, he hated himself. He used to have so much. Sure, it had started off as a job for Sofian, but his love for Sookie was real. He thought about her as he laid in his cubby. He had no reason to use his bed anymore, that was a human thing he shared with Sookie. He wondered if Eric shared his bed with Sookie and it made his blood boil.

Sookie sat with Pam and Jess and they sipped on their fae blood. They groaned and moaned, and Sookie wondered if she had done something wrong with Jessica. She worried as they stared blankly at the television, and she thought about the direction of her life. When would she go back to work with Sam? He had given her time off to feel better, but she would have to go back at some point. For the first time, she wondered if she wanted to go back to work at the bar. She thought maybe she would like to do something else, something more exciting.

Eric returned and noticed that Sookie was worried. She wasn't the only one. He looked at Pam and felt sweat trickle down his forehead. She looked awful. He wondered what was going on. But it would right itself. He heard Sookie's cries for bed in his mind and took her hand.  
"Come on, time for bed." He told her and she nodded.

The next morning, Eric and Sookie awoke to the sound of Jessica and Pam's socks scuffling around the wooden floors. Eric smiled as he went to get his morning blood. Pam was looking out of the window, as Jessica danced around the kitchen, singing at the top of her lungs.

When Eric saw them, he noticed streams of blood running down Jessica's face.  
"I can't believe it!" She cried. She hadn't been in the sun in years, but she was young enough to remember the feeling of the sun and when she felt it against her skin, she felt that all was right in the world.

Pam felt conflicted, she had never really been a sun person. But standing by the window, feeling the warmth on her skin, she felt her lower lip wobble. Her joy was quiet and dignified, and Eric came behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Not long now, until you are fae." He smiled and she smiled too, feeling like this might be the best decision she had ever made, and rolling her eyes, wondering how she had ever gotten involved with Sookie.

Sookie took Jessica out, making her promise to keep her hunger down.  
"Have a big glass of blood before you go and then you should be fine." She smiled at her and Jess couldn't believe that she could put on her summer dress, and spray perfume and wear her little sandals. She slathered on Sookie's sunscreen, not wanting to burn in the autumn sun, and hopped in her car.  
"Oh Sookie, isn't this amazing!" She giggled as they drove along.

Sookie looked over at Jessica, so excited to be able to walk in the sun, and she wondered why they had to keep what they were a secret. Sure, they were different, but Sookie thought that maybe what she had done was an improvement for vampires. Eric was far happier, dealing with the bar during the day sometimes, and Jessica was blooming with joy. She decided maybe this was her calling, maybe this is what she was supposed to do, evolve vampire kind. Jessica hadn't asked to see Hoyt, but Sookie couldn't help herself. She drove to Hoyt's worksight and watched as Jessica's face lit up.  
"Do you mean it Sookie? Can I see him?" She asked and Sookie nodded, letting her hop out of the car.

Sookie chuckled as she watched Hoyt's jaw drop. She could feel his love for Jess palpitating from him. But that love was shrouded in confusion.

Jessica ran up to him and collided into Hoyt.  
"How are you here?!" He asked, looking at her skin, glowing in the sun, as opposed to burning up.  
"I can't tell you that right now. How's about you take me and Sookie for lunch?" She asked and he nodded.  
"I'll drive behind. You pick a place, sugar." He told her, kissing her on the cheek, eyes still wide with confusion.

Sookie chuckled as they drove along to Jessica's favourite diner.  
"This used to be my favourite place in the world." She licked her lips.  
"Are you feeling hungry, Jess?" Sookie asked and Jessica realised that her stomach was rumbling.  
"I think I do. Maybe I could eat a little." She smiled and Sookie nodded, feeling the warmth of her joy.

Hoyt stared at Jessica as she looked at the menu.  
"I'm not sure what they're going to have for your here, Jess." He told her warily, looking over at Sookie for support.  
"I think i'll have the mac and cheese." She announced and Sookie smiled and took her hand under the table.

Sookie was no fool and brought a bottle of fae blood with her. She had been drinking a lot of blood to produce enough for Jessica to turn. She passed it over and Jess sipped on it as they waited for their food.  
"So, does someone wanna tell me what is going on?" Hoyt asked, but before Sookie could respond, the ground shook. She looked over at Jess and saw a blank, scared look on her face.  
"We'll be one minute, Hoyt." She rushed her into the bathroom and Sookie took the bottle away.  
"Jess, how are you feeling?" She asked and Jess brought her hand up to her mouth.  
"I feel, different." She told her and Sookie pulled her in for an embrace.  
"You're a fae now, honey. Can you hear my thoughts?" She asked and projected a thought over.  
"No, I can't hear nothing." She told her and Sookie nodded.  
"That's okay, you probably have other fae talents." She told her and Jessica kissed Sookie on the cheek.  
"Oh Sookie, I'm so happy. Thank you so much." She told her and Sookie smiled, and told her to get back out there.

Hoyt was so confused, he thought he might have fallen and hit his head. When Jess returned she looked more beautiful than ever. She was glowing.  
"Hoyt, I have something to tell you." Jessica told him, looking over to Sookie for permission. Sookie nodded.  
"I'm not a vampire anymore." She told him and he felt his eyes widen.  
"Then what are you?" He asked and she sighed, wondering how to explain it.  
"She's a faerie now." Sookie told him and watched as he started laughing.  
"A fairy? Really?" He asked and Jessica nodded.

It took Hoyt a few moments to realise that they weren't joking.  
"There really is more in this world than I ever realised." He rubbed a hand over his mouth.  
"Do you still like me?" She asked, a little worried. He took both her hands in his and kissed her fingers.  
"Of course, sweetheart. This is just… a lot to handle."

Before they could talk anymore, the food arrived. Jessica had never felt hunger like it and picked up her fork like it was her weapon of choice. Sookie beamed as she watched Jessica chow down on her mac and cheese.  
"Is it good, honey?" Hoyt asked, a little worried at how quick Jess was eating.  
"Oh I have never felt so good in my life." Jessica smiled, shoving another bite into her mouth.

After they had all finished their food, Sookie looked to Hoyt.  
"Now Hoyt, I don't have to tell you how important it is that no one knows about Jess yet, do I?" She asked, looking at him with intent in her eyes. She had no idea that she was glamoring him.  
"No, Ma'am. I understand. I won't tell a soul." He told her in that dead kind of way someone being glamoured did.

Jessica held Hoyt's hand as they left the restaurant.  
"You're not cold anymore." He told her and she smiled, blushing for the first time since Hoyt had met her.  
"Can I take you for dinner alone tonight, Jess?" He asked, looking at his watch, having to get back to work.  
"Sookie, can I?" She asked, Sookie being her maker now.  
"As long as your home by midnight." She told her and Jess nodded, glad that she was going to get some alone time with Hoyt.

Pam was sat out in the garden in her velvet juicy couture tracksuit when she changed. She was sipping on some fresh blood that Eric had drained for her and she buckled, holding her knees to her chest. She felt a sweat come on as she shivered. Her skin began to change, she could feel it, feel it getting thicker. Her blood began to run warm in her veins and when she touched her face, she felt a strange warmth there that she hadn't felt in centuries.

She stood in silence and went into the house. She stood in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked different. She knew that she had always been striking. But now she was pretty, with a flush in her cheeks and a warmth to her aura, she looked truly pretty and Pam stroked her cheek, wondering why she had ever thought of saying no to this.

Jess got home and called out for Pam.  
"You too?" She asked and Jess nodded.  
"How do you feel?" Pam asked and Jess felt a tear run down her face.  
"Human again." She beamed. Sookie watched as Pam took Jess' hand, in a gesture that was very un-Pam.  
"Well, I don't remember what that feels like. But this feels pretty good." She smiled and Sookie sighed, promising herself that she wouldn't turn anymore vampires for a long while.

Eric got home from his day of errands and went straight to Pam.  
"How are you? I felt it." He asked her and she smiled at him.  
"I don't feel very me. But I'm sure the bad bitch will be back soon." He chuckled and she sat on the sofa, sipping a bottle of human blood, from the supply that Eric always kept around.

Although Sookie was all smiles on the outside, Eric could hear her worry. She was anxious that Warlow would return, that he would be angered by the number of vampires that she had turned.  
"Sookie, we are enough to protect you now." He told her and she placed a hand on his knee and nodded.  
"I know."


	12. War is Coming

Jessica came up from her cubby, ready for her date with Hoyt. Sookie smiled seeing her in her pretty green dress, her hair styled in curls and her cheeks flushed. Pam also emerged, saying that she was going to head to Fangtasia for the evening, which Eric approved of. Once they were both gone, Sookie and Eric sat on the sofa and huffed.  
"I have never been so tired in my life." She chuckled.  
"We have just sired two vamp faes in a matter of days. We should be tired." He told her and she nodded, knowing what they had done had taken a lot of energy, especially Sookie, who had already sired Eric.  
"I don't know what we do now." She told him honestly. He smiled, wondering what Sookie did when she was not caught up in some drama or other.  
"Well, for starters, I'm taking you on a date." He told her and was shocked when she burst out laughing.  
"Eric Northman doesn't do dates." She chuckled and he sat back a little.  
"Well then, we won't." He stated, all of the smiles and joy in his face gone.

Sookie knew she had hurt Eric. He had wanted to do something nice for her and she had mocked him.  
"Come on, Eric. I was joking." She said as he sat there, pouting.  
"I think I will go and join Pam at Fangtasia tonight." He told her, standing.  
"Fine then. Go." Sookie told him, not wanting to be emotional. She knew this might happen, that he was going to revert back into the sleazy Eric Northman once he had gotten what he wanted out of her. So, she watched as he slammed the door on his way out.

Eric ran to Fangtasia. He hadn't brought his porsche to Sookie's and he was not going to take her shitty car. He wanted her to ask him to stay, not tell him to go. He wanted her to want him as much as he wanted her. He hated feeling this weak, this powerless. He had never felt so vulnerable before. He had never felt what he felt for Sookie. It was a mix of desire, love, anger, protection all in one ball of emotion. He was angry at her because she seemed to want the Eric that he didn't think she would want him to be. When he went soft on her, she laughed at him. He was humiliated.

He sat on his throne at Fangtasia and watched as all the vampires stared at him and Pam. They were fae now, irresistible to vampires. Eric rolled his eyes as vampire after vampire approached him, male and female, offering him anything for his attention. He declined their offers of money and sex and fame, he was disgusted by them.

He zoned out as the heavy base played, wondering if there was a way that he could be the Eric that Sookie subconsciously wanted, and the gentleman that he knew she deserved. He sat there and pondered what he could do to bring those two versions of Eric together and smiled when he came up with a plan.

Sookie did anything to keep her mind off of Eric. She tidied the whole house, mopping the floors, dusting the ornaments. She baked a pie and cooked herself homemade fried chicken, with her Grandmother's recipe. She sat and ate her food and thought of what an idiot she had been. She had wanted Eric to be a gentleman for so long. Sure, he annoyed her before, but she would have killed for him to want to take her on a date rather than just get in her pants. But, here she was, laughing at his kind gestures, like a bitch.

Her head shot up when she heard the door slam. She watched as Eric strode in and threw a dress on her lap.  
"Change, you are being my companion tonight." He told her and she looked up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. When she didn't move, Eric crouched down and took her chin between his fingers.  
"You might be my maker, but you are following my orders tonight. Now go." He told her and she couldn't help but comply.

Sookie stood in the shower and couldn't help feeling aroused by Eric's sudden dominance over her. It was his dominance that drew her to him in the first place. She quickly washed and shaved her legs - seemed faeries got leg hair too.

Her eyes almost fell out of her head when she saw the dress. She looked in the mirror and gawked at herself. It was a red dress, with a high neckline and a large cutout on the chest. She shook her head.  
"Eric, I can't wear this!" She called to him and he was there behind her instantly.  
"You will wear it because I want you to wear it." He told her, running his hands through her hair, pulling it up onto her head.  
"Wear your hair up." He ordered her, before disappearing from behind her.

Sookie felt her hands shake as she pulled her hair up and gripped it into place. She had no idea what Eric had in store for her, but she was excited. She threw on a red lip and the only pair of fancy heels that she had and walked out to show Eric.

He stood when he saw her, she had never looked so delicious before. He walked slowly, draping a fur cape over her shoulders.  
"You look perfect." He whispered in her ear, making her shudder.

Sookie rolled her eyes when she saw the matte black porsche on her driveway. Eric grabbed the back of her thigh.  
"You can walk if you want." He told her and she shook her head, crawling into the low car.

Sookie had never seen Eric look so smart. He was dressed in an immaculate black suit, his shirt unbuttoned two buttons down, with a pocket square the same colour as her dress. They drove along silently.  
"Where are we going?" She asked and Eric told her she would know soon.  
"You didn't enjoy Fangtasia?" She asked and he looked over to her.  
"It is no place for a fae." He told her, sending shivers down her spine.

Sookie had never been in such an expensive car. She gasped when Eric whipped around corners and sped up on the forest paths. He loved shocking her.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Eric ordered Sookie to stay still and walked around the car to open her door for her. She had never seen him act this way and it made her mouth water. Sookie had never been to this french restaurant before. She had no idea where they were, but she felt special, being with Eric. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her in.

The restaurant was packed, Sookie could smell vampires and humans. She looked over at Eric with a worried look in her eyes, but he pressed his hand against her back just a little firmer, for reassurance.  
"Monsieur Northman, it is lovely to see you tonight." The waiter greeted them. Sookie wondered how he knew Eric's surname, but quickly banished that thought.

They sat in a corner, on a low lit table. Eric took off Sookie's cape, which he passed to the waiter and Sookie felt massively underdressed. She felt the posh women, in their fine dress suits and three pieces staring her down.  
"Sookie, sit down, you look wonderful." He told her, sitting.

Sookie couldn't help feeling like a whore as she sat, being stared at by the room. She looked up at Eric and he took her hand in his, bringing it to his mouth.  
"I love seeing you this way." He sent the thought over to her.  
"I look like a whore." She sent a thought back. He smirked at her.  
"How dare you insult the outfit I chose for you." He told her. "You are the most stunning woman in the room. Fuck anyone who looks at you like you are not." He told her, cocking an eyebrow.

Sookie started to lighten up as the band began to play. When the waiter came, Eric ordered in french and Sookie knew better than to ask what he had ordered for her, or worse still, ask to order for herself. He invited her to challenge him, but she decided not to.

When the oysters came, Sookie felt her nose turn up. Eric sent her a warning glance and she looked down at the food. Eric picked up an oyster and held it up to her mouth.  
"Open your mouth." He ordered her.  
"Eric-" But he gave her a look that she knew she could not refuse, so she opened her mouth.  
"Good girl." He smiled, pleased with how she was acting.

After the dinner, he took her hand and pulled her up onto the dance floor.  
"I didn't know you danced." Sookie looked up at him.  
"I have wanted to dance with you for a long time." He told her and she felt her cheeks blush a deep shade of red.

He took the lead and gently spun Sookie around in slow circles. After a few minutes, she rested her head against his chest.  
"Is this what you wanted, Sookie?" He asked and Sookie sighed.  
"Yes, I guess it is." She told him.  
"I like seeing you quiver when you look up at me." He told her and she shook her head smiling.  
"Do you really see me as your maker?" She asked, smiling up at him.  
"Yes. You gave me this new life, Sookie. I will never be able to thank you enough." He told her.  
"But I will start by replacing that shit car of yours." He told her and she sighed.  
"You know I like my shit car." He sighed.  
"You will like a porsche more." He told her and she shook her head.  
"If you say so."

They turned in small circles for a while, until someone tapped Eric on the shoulder.  
"May I take over?" Warlow asked. Neither Sookie nor Eric had heard him enter. Sookie looked over to Eric, who sighed and shook his head, passing Sookie over to him.  
"Good boy. We don't want any trouble, do we?" He asked and Sookie sighed, looking down at her feet.

They swayed for a few moments, before Warlow pulled her closer.  
"I know what you're doing." He told her and she felt her shoulders raise with anxiety.  
"I don't know how you're doing it. But I know that you are turning vamps into faes." He told her and she didn't fight back, not wanting an argument.  
"Why?" He asked her and she looked him in the eye.  
"I didn't want to be alone with you." She told him and he looked down at her with a grimace on his face.  
"Am I really that revolting?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.  
"I just didn't want you to kidnap me." She admitted and he chuckled.  
"Well, now that you have your little entourage, I am not your biggest worry. I am still determined to make you mine. Because, no matter how you are turning these vamps, they are not born fae. But, the vamps are catching wind and I will be the first one they come looking for." He told her and she nodded.  
"I am going into hiding, you need to sort this mess out. And when you do, I will be waiting for you." He told her and walked off without another word.

Eric drove Sookie home immediately.  
"What does he mean that the vamps are catching on?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"It was only a matter of time. We just have to work out if they will accept us, or if they are going to want to end us." Sookie sighed and Eric looked out of the window.  
"It is new, which means that the chances of being accepted are very slim." He told her and she knew he was right.

Sookie called Jess and Eric called Pam and they all sat in the living room, wondering what to do/  
"So, he is just going into hiding? That little pussy fairy boy." Pam shook her head.  
"At least he won't be a problem for us for a little while." Eric told her.

Sookie had been very quiet the whole time.  
"There is only one option." She eventually said, with tears in her eyes.  
"We have to multiply." She told them. Eric took her hand.  
"Are you sure? What about the fae world?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"There is no other option. If we do not turn more vamps, and show them that this is a better way of life, then they will execute us." She told them and Eric took her hand.  
"You're not turning anyone yet. You have just finished turning two vamps." He told her and she nodded.  
"Jess, I want you to turn Bill." Sookie told her, with gritted teeth.  
"Pam, go and turn Cho." Eric ordered. They both nodded and left Eric and Sookie.

Jess walked in on Bill sipping a pint of True Blood.  
"I'm surprised to see you here." He told her and she stood at the door.  
"I have orders to turn you into a fae." She told him and he got up, leaving his blood on the table.  
"Jess, I don't know if I want that." He told her and she shook her head.  
"If you don't let me turn you, Sookie and I will die." She told him and he sighed.  
"There is a war coming. And either your on the side of darkness, or the side of light." She told him and he rubbed his fingers against his forehead.  
"I would never do it to you if you wouldn't love it." Jess told him and he sat down with a slump,  
"Fine."

Eric and Sookie sat together in silence after Pam and Jess left.  
"What are we going to do?" She asked and he sighed.  
"We will stay out in the light and lock ourselves in cellars in the night if we have to." He told her and she shook her head.  
"I thought I was going to be able to live a normal life. I thought I was going to be able to go back to work and have friends and a boyfriend, like normal girls my age." She told him. He took her hand and looked down at her.  
"I can't give you normal. But I will keep you safe and happy, Sookie." Eric told her and in that moment, that was as good as it was going to get.


	13. Wolves

Sookie quit her job at Merlotte's. It wasn't safe for her to work there anymore.  
"I'm sorry Sam. I am just going through a tricky time at the moment." She told him.  
"You would tell me if you were in trouble, wouldn't you, Sookie?" He asked and she smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"I just have no time at the moment." She told him and he nodded and let her go.

Sookie had never wanted to leave her house. She loved what it represented, and the memories she had there. But, now that they were turning more vampires fae, they needed a safe and secure place to stay.  
"We won't become a nest, will we?" Sookie asked and Eric shook his head,  
"I'll make sure we don't."

Eric owned a hotel a little ways out of town, and he had enough rooms spare for all of the vampires to stay in.  
"I don't want to leave." Sookie told him as they packed away her clothes.  
"I know. But, it's not safe for you here. They know where you live, they know where to come and find you." She sighed and shook her head.

Sookie invited Jason over, to give him an update.  
"It's not that we're in trouble. It's just we're different and different people aren't always safe around here." She told him. He sighed and shook his head, chuckling a little.  
"Sookie, trouble follows you everywhere." He told her and she sighed, guessing he was right. They embraced and then climbed into Eric's porsche, and Jason watched them drive away.

Eric stared straight at the road as he drove.  
"Maybe we should move to Paris for a year or so." He thought aloud.  
"No Eric. I don't want to move out of this state, let alone out of the country." She told him and he huffed.  
"You can go if you want. Maybe we should all spread out, so they can't find us all." She told him and Eric squinted his eyes ever so slightly.  
"Is this what you want?" He asked and Sookie shook her head.  
"I honestly don't know anymore." She told him and Eric remained silent the rest of the journey.

When they got to the hotel, Eric slammed his car door and left Sookie to crawl out of the low car. She could feel his rage and anger radiating off of him and his thoughts were so desperate and nasty that she could barely read them. She wished she could spend a little time away from vamps and faes. She wanted to be around humans again. She wanted to feel just a little normal. So, while Eric was sorting out the rooms, she told him she was going to buy some supplies. He nodded and grumbled something and she shook her head, wishing he would not be so stubborn.

She drove to the nearest bar and sat on the stool.  
"That your car out there?" The bartender asked.  
"Yeah, why?" She asked, sipping on her beer.  
"We don't see a lot of cars like that around here." He told her and he nodded. Sookie could see in his mind that he was planning on stealing it, along with almost every other person in the bar.  
"Yeah, you gotta be careful with cars like that. That's why I had the automatic pepper spray put in the handles. You know people really can be evil." She told him, smiling and watched as the image of him stealing the car quickly turned to him being mased as he tried to break in.  
"Yeah, some people are just bastards." He told her and she nodded, smiling straight through him.

When she finished her beer, she felt refreshed, taking a little weight off of her shoulders. But then, she sensed it, the wolves. She could spot her face in their minds. So, she hopped off of her stool and left out the back door. She could feel that two of them were stood by the car. So, she sighed and ran back to the hotel.

Eric was enraged when she came back.  
"I have some bad news." She told him and his nostrils flared.  
"What is it?" He asked her and she shook her head, telling him about the wolves. He sighed.  
"It is just a car, I can get another. But they know we're here now." He rubbed his forehead with two fingers.  
"What can we do?" She asked and he called over one of the staff.  
"We are on high alert. Lock everything." He told them and Sookie shook her head.  
"So now we are living in a prison?" She asked and he growled at her.  
"What else would you suggest?" He spat at her and she turned and walked away, not wanting to say something she would regret later.

Sookie locked herself in her room and sighed. She wondered how her life had ended up like this. She hated Bill for doing this to her, for tearing her life away. She knew that Eric was doing his best, but she wasn't very keen on his new emotional side. She wished they could go back to the way that it was before they had kissed, before they had slept together, when it was all smart quips and dark flirting.

Eric heard the door lock and he let his head fall into his hands. He knew he would never get this opportunity with Sookie again and with Bill coming to the hotel soon, he knew that they couldn't be fighting. He rested his head on the door and sighed. Truth be told, he didn't know how to keep her safe, or happy for that matter. Her brother was right, trouble followed Sookie everywhere.

Sookie could hear his thoughts through the door. She felt his confusion, his frustration and she could relate. She had brought him into this, just as Bill had brought her, and it would do them no good to be fighting. They had a common enemy and they had to stick together.

She opened the door and looked up at him.  
"This is all a bit fucked up, isn't it?" She asked him and watched Eric chuckle and shake his head.  
"What are we going to do, Sookie?" He asked, looking down at her. She couldn't think back to a time when Eric Northman didn't have a plan. But now, he seemed truly dumbfounded.  
"We will stay here and do our best to come up with a plan. Are the werewolves a threat?" She asked and Eric shrugged his shoulders.  
"We really have no way of knowing, until they come to us." He told her and she sighed, sitting back on the bed.  
"Then, we greet them and we explain camly what is happening. The worst that could happen is that we have to kill a few wolves. But they might just understand." She told him and he sighed, laying on the bed and pulling her down with him.  
"We'll have to just see what happens." She told him and he nodded.

When Bill turned up, he was shocked to see the strict guarding on the hotel.  
"The wolves have found us." Eric told Bill and he sighed.  
"Jessica will take you to a room and lock you in, so that the wolves cannot get to you while you are turning. Bill wanted to put up a fight, but saw a glint in Eric's eye that warned him not to.

With the house full of vamps, they bolted down the doors and waited.

Bill had never tasted anything like Jessica's vamp fae blood. He had had the tiniest of tastes with Sookie. But full fae blood was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He sat and sulked, while drinking his blood. He had watched Sookie and Eric walk off together and he knew that they were going to spend the night together. Without him, none of this would have happened. He and Sookie would have been coming home from their vacation, back to their normal lives in Bon Temps. But, he had to go and fuck it all up and turn her vamp. Now, she was with Eric and he was locked in a room, sipped on blood through a straw.

Sookie was unsure how she felt about Bill becoming a fae. She laid with Eric and he could sense her worry.  
"I loved him, but he is prone to lying and manipulation and with his fae abilities, his manipulation will only improve." She told him and he looked at her.  
"Were you worried when you turned me?" He asked and she sighed.  
"I suppose. But it was what was needed to stop Warlow. But now I guess we have a bigger problem on our hands." Eric shrugged his shoulders, getting back to their conversation.  
"Why didn't you turn Bill, to be with him against Warlow?" He asked and she wondered for a moment.  
"I can never forgive him for what he did. He knew that the one thing I loved more than anything was my humanity. He took that from me and he will never be able to give it back. But, with you, you were there for me the minute you knew that something was wrong, and I could give you one thing I knew you really, truly wanted." She told him and he smiled a little.  
"You?" She hit him lightly on the arm and huffed.  
"The sun." She told him and he nodded, remembering that he got his days back.

Sookie rolled over and Eric wondered how they were ever going to make it work. But then, she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her, holding his hand against her skin and he knew that it was the small things that were going to get them through, the glances, the hands entwined, her little thoughts she sent him from time to time. They were up against a seemingly never ending battle. But they would have to just trust in what they were and get through it together.


	14. Protection

It didn't take long for the wolves to find them. Sookie sighed when she heard the motorbikes pulling up.  
"I guess it's time." She told Eric and he nodded, going to answer the door.

Eric smiled up at the two large gentlemen.  
"Hi there, how can I help you?" He asked and they both growled a little.  
"You gonna explain how your awake in the sun, Northman?" The taller man asked and Eric sighed, turning to the side.  
"Come in."

Sookie recognised Alcide from when he had helped her with some wolf business in the past.  
"Sookie?" He sighed, knowing that Sookie was going to be involved in one way or another.

They all sat at the table and the leader of the pack, Alcide's Father asked what the hell was going on. Sookie explained about being part fae and being turned vamp.  
"You could walk in the sun?" Alcide asked and she nodded.  
"It was the strangest sensation. I should have been burnt to a crisp, but I felt just fine." She told him and he nodded, a little confused.  
"I am still not sure what we are, whether we are more vampire, or more fae. But, what I can tell you is that we are far more under control as fae. It is as if the thirst for human blood has gone because we run on fae blood." She told them and they nodded.  
"So why are you hiding out here?" Mr Hervaux asked.  
"We are not safe. I have pretty much created a new breed of vamp that can walk in the sun and who knows how humans, or vamps will respond." Sookie shrugged her shoulders, sighing, wishing she could predict what was going to happen.

Eric felt the stress leave his body as he felt the rage leave the wolves. They seemed more curious than anything.  
"So you fairies ain't gonna go on any killing sprees?" He asked and Sookie shook her head.  
"No sir. We just want to be able to go about our normal lives." She told him and he nodded.  
"I understand that."  
"But, we have a war coming. Either the vamps will drain us of our blood, or they will kill us for what we are." Sookie admitted and Eric sighed, shaking his head.  
"Well, alright then. Whilst you are in our territory, you have our support and protection. I don't know what you are, but it seems that you have taken the evil out of Northman, which I never thought I would say." He chuckled as Eric ground his teeth together.  
"And I support this change. Anything that will make humans more safe and less afraid of us, is a good thing in my eyes."

Sookie showed the men out and Alcide pulled her in for a hug.  
"You should come to one of our cookout''s Sook. There won't be a vamp for miles." He told her and she chuckled, nodding.  
"I'll see what i can do. You have a safe journey now." She told them as they mounted their bikes and drove off.

Eric was relieved that the wolves were protective of them, but he still didn't like Alcide. He didn't like how Sookie looked at him and he didn't like the thoughts he had about her. But he knew he had to get over it. Now was not the time to be jealous.

* * *

Jessica couldn't believe that she had just been given the sun back and now it was being taken away again, to be locked in a hotel. She wanted to see Hoyt, she wanted to see her family and tell them that she wasn't a vamp anymore. Maybe they would accept her now. Maybe she could visit them and have dinner. It all seemed too good to be true. But she couldn't do anything whilst she was stuck in Eric's hotel.

She let Bill feed off of her from the wrist, in hopes he would turn quicker. She hated watching her blood fill the glass and she pushed Bill off when he got too keen. She could see him changing, he would ask her how it felt, to be a fae, and she would respond that she felt more in control, and lighter, less groggy. He kept it secret, but Bill couldn't wait to be fae. He hadn't seen the sun in hundreds of years and he longed to feel the warmth on his face.

Jessica didn't forget about her family. She sat down with Sookie after dinner one evening.  
"Sookie, once Bill is turned, could you do me a favour?" She asked and Sookie asked what she wanted.  
"I want to see my family, just once. I will glamour them to make sure they never tell anyone. I just can't end up like Bill, with my whole family being dead and them never knowing about me. They think I'm a monster." Sookie thought about it for a moment. If they were quick and Jessica glamoured them after, she couldn't see too much harm in it.  
"I'll think about it. But I already helped you a lot with Hoyt, remember?" Jessica nodded, remembering all that Sookie had done for her.

Sookie sat with Eric and told him about Jessica.  
"No. Absolutely not." He told her, and she huffed.  
"Imagine if your family were still alive-"  
"But they're not." He interrupted her.  
"I am going to take her." She told him. "Her family deserves to know that she can walk in the sun before they just see her walking through the mall with Hoyt one day." Eric shook his head.  
"Then why did you even ask me?" He asked her and she looked him in the eye.  
"Honestly, I don't know." She told him and he felt his blood boil.

* * *

It took three days for Bill to be turned and when he did, Sookie could hear him whimpering with joy as she walked past his room.  
"I think your vamp might have finished cooking." She told Jessica and she chuckled, nodding, opening Bill's door.

Sookie knew that she should start thinking about her next set of vamps. The hotel would accommodate far more and meant that they could all be turning people. She wondered who she could turn next and pulled out her cell phone.

Tara had gone underground after being turned. She was ashamed, and hated herself more than she thought she would. She would cry as she fed, feeling dirty and disgusting. When she saw a call from Sookie, she sighed and picked up the phone.  
"Well, it has been a long time since I have heard from you." She smiled down the phone, trying to sound happy.  
"Tara, I need to speak to you." Sookie said down the phone.  
"What's going on?" She asked and Sookie gave her a brief rundown on what had happened.  
"So you're a full fairy now? You got wings?" She asked and Sookie laughed down the phone, making Tara smile.  
"I can make this better for you, Tara. You will be able to walk in the sun." She told her and Tara was a little apprehensive.  
"I don't know, Sookie. Things just haven't been the same since-" She couldn't bring herself to say it.  
"Tara, I can help you." She told her and Tara told her she would think about it.

Sookie wasn't hopeful after speaking to Tara. She knew that Tara had gone off the grid since she had been turned and she knew that her maker had raped and abused her. But she hoped that maybe being able to gain some normalcy back in her life would help things.

Bill couldn't quite believe that it had worked. When he had seen Jess, he believed that faes existed, but he never thought that he would ever be one. He thought that the darkness in his soul would prevent him from ever being able to step in the sun.

Jessica took him to the mirror and watched as he stared, amazed at the colour in his cheeks that hadn't been there for hundreds of years. He touched his hands and he wasn't stone cold. He looked at Jessica and felt his eyes well up.  
"How can this be real?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.  
"It is all because of Sookie." She told him and in that moment Bill could have kissed that woman's feet.

Jessica led him out into the garden and he looked up at the sky, as blue as he had ever seen it, clouds slowly passing by and he fell to his knees.  
"I can never remember it feeling so warm." He told her and Jessica chuckled.  
"It's all those greenhouse gasses." Bill gave her a warning look as she chuckled behind her hand.

Sookie smiled as she saw Bill enjoying the sun. Against her instincts, she was happy that he was happy. She hated him, but to see someone who hasn't seen the sun in centuries stare up at a blue sky was enough to make anyone smile.

Jessica came to Sookie and asked if they could go to her parents' house.  
"It's a sunday, so I know they'll be home from church." She told her. Eric was out, collecting his next vamp to turn, which left Bill, Pam and Chow in the house.  
"Go tell Bill and Pam that we're leaving." She told her, while Sookie put on her shoes.

Sookie sighed, looking at the cars. Eric had refused to bring her little car to the hotel, so she was left looking at a ferrari, and a swanky BMW. She asked Jessica which one she wanted and of course, she went with the red ferrari.

Sookie had never driven a car like it before. It felt as if the car knew what Sookie wanted to do even before Sookie. Jessica buzzed with anticipation and Sookie could feel the energy buzzing off of her.  
"Jess, you still can't read minds can you?" She asked and Jessica huffed.  
"No, don't remind me." Sookie was pretty sure that Jessica had the talent of energy manipulation, feeling the energy coming off of her now.  
"Honey I need you to calm down, else I'm thinking you might send a big ol ball of energy towards your parents' house." She told her and Jessica felt her mouth drop open.  
"Can I do that?" She asked and Sookie nodded.  
"I think so. Most faeries can, but Eric can't. But then he got the mind reading." Jessica nodded and put that piece of information to the back of her mind.

Sookie smiled when they pulled up to the little house. It reminded Sookie of her Gran's house, the place that a family must have lived for generations. Jessica hopped out and stood still for a moment. This had all seemed like such a good idea, until now. She wiped the sweat from her brow and wondered how her parents were going to respond. But before she could get nervous, Sookie took her hand and guided her to the front door.

Jessica knocked at the door and took a deep breath. Her Mother answered the door and felt her mouth fall agape. She hadn't seen her daughter in years, and the last time she had, she had been a blood sucking vampire.  
"Hi mom." Jessica smiled as her Mother remained silent.  
"How are you here?" She asked, her eyes wide.  
"Can I come in and explain? I won't hurt you." She promised, seeing the fear on her Mother's face.  
"Who is it?" Jessica could hear her Father calling from the other room.  
"Please momma." She asked and she nodded lightly and turned sideways.

Jessica's Father did not react well to her return.  
"GET THAT DEVIL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" He screamed. Sookie looked Mr Hanby in the eyes and told him to calm down and hear his daughter out. Suddenly, Mr Hanby was calm as a cucumber, sitting down at the dining room table.

Mrs Hanby was unsure how to react.  
"I'm Sookie Stackhouse." Sookie began, shaking Mrs Hanby's hand.  
"Why are you not burning up, Jessica?" She asked, her eyes wide with confusion.  
"It's a long story, momma." She sighed and Mrs Hanby nodded.  
"Well, could you give me the main points?" She asked and Jessica thought for a moment.

Sookie helped Jessica along.  
"Mrs Hanby, Jessica is not a vampire anymore, not fully. That's why she's not burning up in the sun." Sookie watched as Mrs Hanby wiped a tear from her cheek.  
"The lord has shown my daughter redemption." She cried out and Sookie didn't want to tell her that she wasn't quite right.  
"I'm a fae now, momma." She told her, as her Father remained silent.

"A what?" She asked and Jessica explained that she could eat food and go out in the sun and she didn't have an insatiable thirst.  
"You've been saved." She told her and she nodded.  
"Sookie saved me." Jessica took Sookie's hand and Mrs Hanby looked over to her.  
"It was you who took the devil out of my daughter?" She asked and Sookie was unsure what to say.  
"I turned her fae, ma'am." She told her and Mrs Hanby stood and looked down at her daughter.  
"Why don't I make some lunch?" She asked and Sookie thought that was a great idea.

Sookie sat with Mr Hanby while Jessica spoke with her Mother in the kitchen.  
"Mr Hanby, you don't have to be afraid of your daughter anymore." He sighed, shaking his head.  
"You must have thought me a monster when you two walked in here. But you didn't see her before. She was out for our blood, for her sister's blood. She looked evil." He told her and she nodded.  
"Newborn vampires are in extreme pain. They have an uncontrollable thirst and they have to transition from a normal life to living at night." She told him and he sighed.  
"I thought she was the daughter of the devil." He told her and Sookie nodded again.  
"A lot of people think that vampires are evil. But it was just a part of your daughter's life. She was human, then vampire, and now she is fae." She told him and he nodded.  
"I can't really believe it." He told her and she nodded.  
"Neither could I. I was turned against my will, like your daughter." Mr Hanby looked up, with shock in his eyes.  
"She was what?" He asked and Sookie came to the realisation that Mr Hanby knew nothing about what had happened.  
"Sir, they kidnapped your daughter and turned her into a vampire against her will." She told him and watched as his head fell into his hands.  
"This whole time I thought that she had gone off like some harlot, looking for em." He told her and she shook her head.  
"Sir, I have never seen Jessica more excited that when I told her she could walk in the sun again, and eat mac and cheese again." She told him and he chuckled.  
"My little girl does love food." He told her.  
"She was a victim of a terrible crime, but I have never met a stronger young woman in my life." She told him and he took her hand.  
"Thank you, for doing what you did."

They sat down at the table and Jessica asked where her little sister was.  
"Oh she's with a friend today." They told her and then proceeded to say grace.

During lunch, Jessica told her parents about Hoyt.  
"I have a boyfriend." She blurted out and they both looked up at her.  
"For how long?" Her Mother asked and Jess told them that they had met when she had just been turned.  
"He understood my pain, and he's a good boy." She told her parents.  
"I'm sure if it had been legal, he would've married you the minute he met you." Sookie chuckled.  
"Is he a Christian boy?" Mr Hanby asked.  
"Yes Daddy." Jessica told him.  
"Then how could he date a vamp?" He asked and Sookie could feel the tension in the room.  
"He didn't see me as a vamp, Daddy. He just saw me as Jessica." She told him and he huffed, nodding his head.  
"I'm sure we'll get married now that I can walk in the sun." She told them.  
"I'd like to meet him, very much." Mrs Hanby said and Jessica smiled, saying she would bring him to lunch soon.

Sookie thought she might cry, hearing Mrs Hanby's thoughts.

 _I've only just got her back. I can't lose her again._ She thought and Sookie smiled over at Mrs Hanby, who seemed to glow with joy.

They had to leave after lunch. Sookie stood in front of Mrs Hanby and glamoured her to not speak a word of this to anyone, whilst Jessica did the same with her Father.  
"You come back now, you hear?!" Mrs Hanby called out to them as they climbed into the Ferrari.

Sookie looked over at Jessica and asked her how that went for her.  
"Oh Sookie, they wanna meet Hoyt, they want me back. I can't believe it. You have given me back everything that Bill took away." She told her and Sookie smiled over at her.  
"Do you want to know what they were thinking?" She asked and Jessica nodded.  
"Your Dad thought you had become a vampire because you wanted to be one." She told her and Jessica sighed and shook her head.  
"And your Mother, well she just doesn't ever want to lose you again." She told her and Jessica felt a tear fall onto her cheek.  
"This is better than I could have ever imagined." She told Sookie and Sookie was sure that she had done the right thing.

The sun had set by the time they got back to the hotel. Sookie jumped out of the car when she saw Tara stood at the entrance. She ran towards her and crashed into her arms.

"Sookie, what are you?" She asked with eyes wide and Sookie remembered that she must have smelt pretty irresistible to Tara in that moment. So, she took her into the hotel and promised to explain everything.

They walked in to find Eric, stood with his arm around the waist of a beautiful woman.  
"Ah I'm glad you have found your next vamp. I have mine too. Please meet my sister, Nora." Sookie looked at the skinny brunette hanging off of Eric and knew, from the look in his eye that he had done all of this to make Sookie jealous. She refused to take the bait, shook Nora's hand, then took Tara to her room, to move all of her things to another suite, to be as far away from Eric as possible.


	15. The Reveal

Tara was furious at what had happened.  
"So you're telling me that out of all the vampires that you could have taken as your immortal companion, you chose Eric Northman?" She asked, her voice disappointed.  
"I know it sounds crazy, but he was so different in those weeks after I was turned. He was sweet and attentive."  
"And look at him now." She interrupted her.  
"I know. Well, it's done now. I can't go back and change the past. So I suppose I'll just wait around and see what happens." She told her and Tara shook her head.  
"You are the first of this new vampire faerie race and you want to 'wait around and see what happens'? Are you crazy?!" She asked and Sookie sighed.  
"Tara, I don't know what you want me to do." She looked down at her hands and Tara shook her head.  
"Go out, tell people who you are, go on the news, let people know that vampires don't have to be scary anymore." She told her and sookie shook her head.  
"I just can't do that. It's not safe." She told her and Tara huffed.  
"Sookie, you live in the sun. They can't get you as long as you lock yourself in at night. Are you immune to silver?" She asked and Sookie nodded, remembering using her Gran's silverware.  
"Then you lock yourself in with a silver door at night, until it is safe for you not to."

Sookie thought a lot about what Tara had said. What were they doing here, in this hotel, waiting? What were they waiting for? She had followed Eric for too long. He was leading her into a life of seclusion. But Sookie wanted to be out in the sun, living her life without fear.

There was always going to be a war, but Sookie was not prepared to wait, potentially years, for the war to come to her. She wanted it to be done with. She sat with Jessica one evening and spoke to her about her plan.  
"I'm going to go onto the news and announce who we are and why we are different to vampires. I want to do it during the day. Will you come with me?" She asked. Jessica was uncertain at first.  
"Jess, I want you to be able to go to sunday dinner with your family, I want you to be able to walk in the park with Hoyt. But you can't do any of that stuck in this hotel." She told her and Jess knew she was right.  
"I'm in."

Sookie was not 100 percent sure how she was going to get on air, until she called her brother.  
"Jason, I need to get on television." She told him and he sighed, shaking his head.  
"Why?" He asked and Sookie explained that it was not safe for them to live unknown to the world.  
"Are you crazy?! I thought you were just gonna live like normal?" He asked and Sookie sighed.  
"Things have changed now. Can you help me?" She asked and there was silence on the other end of the phone before Jason agreed.

He had dated a girl who had ended up working for a big news company. Jason hadn't had many good breakups, but she was luckily one of them, the distance splitting them. Sookie hoped that Jason could work his charm on her to be able to get her and Jess on a primetime spot.

In the meantime, things were awkward with Eric. Sookie had been sleeping in a separate room and Eric was sulking about it. He was already finding his sheriff duties difficult in seclusion, and being on a break with Sookie made all of that worse.

He knew he shouldn't have brought Nora. He still found her so tempting, after all of these decades and he knew that Sookie could feel that. He had never felt her long for Bill. He had only read a sadness in her thoughts when he was around. He had acted out of spite and jealousy and it had shot him in the foot.

Despite being tempted by Nora, he kept his distance, only seeing her to give her her daily blood allowance. She had tried to seduce him, but he couldn't, that part of their relationship was over now.

In a way, Sookie enjoyed sleeping in a bed alone for the first time in a long while. But she was so upset with Eric, and with Bill and the only man who seemed nice to her in that moment was Alcide. But she had tried before and she couldn't go there. He was too warm blooded for her.

She tried to avoid Eric as much as possible, to avoid awkwardness. Sookie was focused on rearing Tara and sorting out her interview. Jason had managed to get through to his ex and she was intrigued by Sookie and had asked her to come to Washington to have an interview, live on air. She was terrified. But she knew it was something that she had to do.

There was only one time that she could get away with Jessica, without Eric knowing: when he was feeding Nora. She waited for the door to lock closed and she and Jessica picked up their bags and ran to the ferrari. They were gone before Eric had even poured the glass.

Sookie looked over at Jess as they drove off and she gave her a reassuring smile.  
"We are going to make everyone's lives easier." She told her and Sookie nodded.  
"It will be hard at first, but people will have to adapt."

It took all of five minutes for Eric to realise that Sookie was gone.  
"Where is Sookie?" Eric asked, grabbing Tara by the shoulders. She had been turned just before Sookie had left and was told to stay with Pam whilst she learnt more about becoming a faerie.  
"She's not going to wait around for something to happen, Northman. It's Sookie we're talking about here." She told him and he sighed, in a panic, wiping a hand over his face.  
"Where has she gone?" He asked calmly, attempting to hide his fury. Tara didn't have to even say where, as the city called out in her thoughts. Eric growled and huffed, wishing that for once, Sookie could have been a little less reckless.

Sookie drove and watched as Jess looked out of the window in wonder. She could hear the joy in her thoughts. Sookie wondered if she was making the right decision, or if she was about to start the greatest war the vampires had ever seen. Either way, they were going and let the chips fall where they may.

Eric was not used to driving during the day. He swerved between cars to get onto the interstate. He seethed the entire time. He knew that Nora would not turn now, as he was leaving her without fae blood. He could try asking Pam to give her some of her blood. But that was still a risk. Sookie was being so selfish, he couldn't believe it. He had always been the one with the plans and the authority and now that he didn't have it, he feared what would happen.

Sookie had never been to DC before. It was one place that she and Bill had missed out on their little tour before all of this happened. She sighed as people turned to look at the car and stare with wide eyes. She could feel the attention and she hated it.

Jess was so excited to be at the TV station. She had never been anywhere like this before, with men dressed in fine suits and women with their hair lacquered down like a helmet. She couldn't quite believe that she was walking around in the sun again. Men turned back when they passed her, with wonder in their eyes. She wondered when she had become such a lure. But, she enjoyed the attention.

Sookie was sweating. She knew that for better or worse, her whole life was going to change after today. She met with her contact, Stacey Beacher. She had worked at the station for years.  
"Now aren't you just the spitting image of your brother!" She cried out as she jogged along to meet them. She was all brunette curls and red lips, wearing a tight black dress suit and killer heels. She had changed since Sookie had remembered her.

She wondered if she had changed and one quick peek into Stacey's mind revealed that she and Jess made it evidently clear that they did not pass as humans. Sookie sighed at the realisation that her dream of living a normal life was slipping through her fingers.

Jessica was shocked at how few questions they asked, before thrusting them into the studio. She was stunned by the bright lights and the set, she had never been anywhere with so many cameras before.  
"Okay, so we'll go on air and then you guys just shoot, okay?" Stacey told them and Sookie nodded her head. Jess could tell she was stressed, so she took Sookie's hand and squeezed it a little.

Once they were sat in their seats, the cameras started rolling and Stacey told them that they would be live across the nation. They both had a glass of orange juice on the table and Sookie couldn't help sipping it every few minutes.

Jason sat in Merlottes, with a beer at lunch. His eyes widened when he saw Sookie and Jess on the television. He watched as Sam looked up in confusion and turned it up. Jason felt the sweat trickle down his back and pool at the base of his jeans. He didn't know how people were going to react to what his sister had to say.

Sookie tried to breathe evenly as Stacey asked her first question:  
"So tell me a little about yourself, Sookie." She asked and Sookie felt herself pause.  
"I was born in a small town in Louisiana and I always knew that I was a little different." She told Stacey.  
"In what way?" She asked and Sookie sighed.  
"I could read minds." She told her and Stacey looked down at her hands and wondered why she had accepted this interview.  
"Don't worry, your lipstick looks nothing like a hooker." She told her, without thought and Stacey stared up at her in shock.  
"How did you-" Sookie continued, before she could get herself into more trouble.  
"The world is bigger than anyone imagined. Things you cannot even imagine exist. I was told, a year ago, that I was a faerie." She told Stacey and watched as she tried to hold in her laugh.  
"You may laugh, but there is a whole other dimension that none of you will ever see." She told her and Stacey nodded.  
"Fae live among you. They present as humans and most don't even know they are fae. I am not here to announce that I am fae." She told her and Stacey asked her to continue.  
"I got turned into a vampire a few months ago." She told her and Stacey felt her eyes widen.  
"I walk in the sunlight, I do not drink human blood, only synthetic and I have very little thirst." She told Stacey, sipping on her orange juice.

Jason felt everyone's eyes on him. He had never felt more uncomfortable in his life.  
"I couldn't believe it when I returned to my waitressing job a few days after I was turned, being able to be around so many people with very little thirst." He heard his sister say.  
"It was then when I wondered how I could help Vampire-kind." She told the presenter.  
"Jess here had been a vampire for two years when I turned her." She revealed and Jason felt himself watching, captivated.  
"I remember the first time my face felt the sun, I cried like a baby." Jessica smiled.

Jessica was so excited to be able to share her new life with the world.  
"I can eat the food I used to love and I only drink True Blood when I really need it, like a diabetic with their sugar." She told Stacey.  
"There are only a handful of us at the moment. But we eat and sleep and we work, like any other citizen. We are no longer restricted to the night, so we can put our talents to use during normal office hours." She told Stacey and she sat in a form of disbelief.  
"Could you prove to us that you are vamps and not just these new faeries?" She asked and Jessica extended her fangs.  
"I am a vampire and a faerie and I have never been happier or more in control of myself. This new life will be the saviour for vampire-kind." Jessica announced and Stacey signed off.

Jason let his head fall into his hands.  
"Did you know?" Sam asked him and Jason sighed.  
"She is my sister." He told him and Sam nodded.  
"If she wants a job when she comes back, there'll be one for her." He told him and Jason looked up in shock.  
"I think she has done an amazing thing. She has made vampires more human." He explained and Jason nodded, not processing anything properly in that moment.

Eric arrived on set as Sookie and Jess came off the air. He was livid.  
"What have you done?!" He asked Sookie, grabbing her by the shoulders.  
"What had to be done. I will not hide Eric." She told him, pushing past him. He watched her go and wondered how she could have been so selfish.

Jessica and Sookie managed to find a hotel with a silver door, with the help of the tv station. It was where all of the politicians and diplomats stayed, people at risk from vampires. She sighed and slumped down on the bed as Jessica turned on the television. All that was on was the news of this new faerie race. Sookie sighed as she saw her and Jess plastered over every channel.  
"Have I done the right thing?" She asked and Jessica nodded.  
"We don't have to live in secrecy now." She told her. Sookie nodded, unsure if she was right.

Eric checked into the same hotel for the night, to protect himself.  
"Finally, Sookie has done something right." Pam cried out on the other end of the phone.  
"How can you say that?" Eric asked and she explained that now at least the vamps and humans knew.  
"One quick interview, that's all it takes." She told him and he wondered how everyone thought it was a good idea, apart from him.

As he rested his head down to sleep, he knew the vampires would be waking and that they would call a meeting, and notice his absence. He sighed, shook his head and decided that that was a matter for another day.


	16. Born Again

Vampires all over the world awoke to the report of a new breed of vampire. Many watched on in awe, wondering how much it would cost to be turned. The idea of being able to live in the sun was too delicious for many to hate and many vampires, even those high up in the ranks, began researching to find this Sookie Stackhouse.

Sookie awoke to a slew of messages left on the hotel's phone. She played the first message and it was a vampire, introducing himself and telling her his story. How he had been forced to become a vampire and how the sun had been ripped out of his hands. He longed to be able to be in control of his thirst and he begged her to take his savings and turn him into a faerie.

She had hundreds of messages, much like the vampire's, begging her to turn them. She looked down at the phone confused. She had thought that vampires were going to hate her for what she had done and what she was. But it seemed that there were more wanting to become faerie vampire hybrids than wanted to destroy them.

Eric awoke to countless emails and texts asking about the new faeries. The majority of messages were "where can I find them? I want to become a faerie." Eric sighed. He feared this might happen. He flipped on the news and saw the vampire ambassador onscreen, discussing the new hybrids.  
"Of course, we support these new creatures, as they are our daughters. I think this will cause a huge shift in the vampire world as the majority of us would give anything to live during the day, in the sun." She told him and Eric was shocked and confused. This was not the response he had imagined. But he had an awful feeling that retaliation was going to come from elsewhere.

Sookie packed Jessica into the ferrari and drove back to the hotel. The drive was pretty smooth, until two beings appeared in the road.  
"Jesus christ." Sookie screamed, slamming on the breaks.

 _We will never forgive you, Sookie Stackhouse._ The thoughts were sent to her brain.

 _You have endangered all of fae kind._ They projected, before disappearing. She continued driving and sighed, shaking her head. The threat was coming, it just wasn't from the side that she expected.

Sookie had left enough blood for Tara, that when she got back, she was walking around in the daylight.  
"I won't brag Sookie, but I was right." She chuckled and Sookie nodded, glad that the humans and vamps knew about them.  
"We never have to work a day again!" Pam shouted from the stairs. "I had a guy offer me two million to turn him. I'm going to be rich!" She cried out for joy.

Sookie called a meeting once everyone was back.  
"We may have gone down well with the vamps. But we have another enemy now." She started.  
"Two fae appeared to are angry." She announced. Eric sighed, fearing this might happen. He could hear her inner conflict. Whether to obliterate the fae all together, or whether to try and reason with them.  
"They have a right to be angry." Eric began. "We have endangered their entire species." He announced and Sookie sighed, knowing he was right.  
"We either have to get them to put up a permanent wall between the fae and human world. Or, we go to war." Eric told the room.

Sookie ended the meeting by asking everyone to remain calm and go about their normal business.

Eric followed her down the hall after the meeting.  
"Sookie, don't you think we should talk about this?" He asked and she turned.  
"No, I don't. I am going lay down and you are going to make some calls and see how and when we can sit down with whoever runs this vampire shit show." She ordered him and he detested her being his maker in this moment.

Sookie sat and had a brainstorm of what they could do. The idea of building an impenetrable wall between the fae and human world was not a bad one. She wondered how they could make that happen and make it strong enough that the fae would stay out and the fae vamps would stay in.

It was not easy to make the calls that Sookie had requested. The minute that he mentioned the fae vamps, he would get bombarded with questions: where could they find her? How much to become one? It seemed that every vampire wanted this new existence. He denied all of their questions, telling them that they needed to meet.

After the Sanguinista had been disbanded, it was less obvious who was the authority on vampire affairs. So, Eric called the most influential vampires he knew, to meet the next day in his hotel.

He informed Tara, who said she would tell Sookie. She looked at him like he was the shit off of his boot. He could hear how disgusted she was by him and he sighed, shaking his head, wondering how it had all become so messy.

Sookie was ready to receive their guests by the next sunset. Both Tara and Nora had fully turned in time for the meeting. A house full of vamp-fae hybrids was a powerful place and Sookie knew that once the vamps turned up, they would not want to leave.

There were ten guests. They were acting Kings and Queens from various states. Sookie stood at the entrance and shook their hands as they arrived. They each made a comment about how good she smelt and how special she was and she thanked them all accordingly.

They sat around the table and Jessica poured everyone a glass of blood, donated by the hospital. Sookie could feel the thirst in the room. She stood and addressed the company.  
"Hello everyone. Thank you for coming. As you understand, there is something happening within the vampire community. We now have the choice to live in the day or the night." They all grinned.  
"However, we now face a new threat. The faeries are very angry with us, well more me than anyone. They believe that we have put all of the faes into danger." She told them.  
"How could you harm them?" Someone called out.  
"Because we can transport into the fae realm." She admitted and suddenly everyone's interest was peaked.  
"I will not have the faes slaughtered by born again vamps."  
"Good name!" A Queen called out and Sookie smiled a little.  
"We need to put up a wall between fae and vampire-kind. So that vampires cannot slaughter them when they are turned." She could feel the resistance towards the idea.  
"They have done nothing wrong. They are innocent." She told them and was met with silence.

Eric felt her pain at the response. He stood and sighed.  
"You all know me. But what you don't know is that I am a fae now." He told them and there was some bustling and whispering.  
"This whole hotel is full of vamp-fae hybrids." He told them.  
"Being able to live in the sun is the greatest pleasure I have ever known. But, we cannot begin this new chapter with the slaughter of an innocent race." He told them and there was some mumbling and whispering in response.

Eric looked at Sookie and was glad to see that she was grateful for his input.  
"Will we be turned, If we help?" One of the Kings asked. Sookie sighed, she knew this was going to happen.  
"Yes. We will turn you, if you wish." Sookie responded and Eric guessed that it was worth the sacrifice.

So, after some meetings had been arranged with witches who could help with the wall, the vampires moved into their rooms and Sookie had to designate vampires.  
"I want the handsome one from Chicago." Jessica called out and Sookie shook her head, smiling.  
"Alright then, Jess gets Chicago. Anyone else have a request?" Sookie asked and Bill raised his hand.  
"I would like Freyda." Bill announced and Eric let out a sigh of relief. Freyda had wanted to be married to Eric in the past, for his status. So the fact that Bill was interested pleased him.

Sookie was unsure how to feel about Bill wanting to turn Freyda. She was pretty, in a sort of corporate, business woman, type of way. She felt a pang on bitterness at the thought of him moving on. He had killed her, turned her, and disowned her. If she had had it her way, they would still be together, she human and he vampire. But things very rarely seemed to go Sookie's way.

Once they made sure that everyone was settled and fed, Sookie and Eric sat at the table.  
"They will need a ruler, these born again vamps." He told her and she sighed.  
"Eric, they are Kings and Queens, they will not want me as their leader." She shook her head.  
"I think you might be wrong. You were the one who started all of this." He told her and she sighed.  
"Yes, I started this shit show." She told him and he shook his head, walking over to her.  
"You still don't know what you have done, do you?" He asked her and she stood up.  
"I don't need to hear this now, Eric." She went to walk away, until he grabbed her forearm and pulled her back.  
"Alright then, we'll have this conversation now. Why did you move your things out of our room?" He asked and she had to mask the twinge of joy when he called it "their room".  
"You replaced me, when you got bored of me. Just like I knew you would." She told him, glaring into his eyes.  
"Is that what you think of me?" He asked her and she nodded.  
"This is the first time I have ever been with Nora without fucking her." He told her.  
"I will buy you a medal." She snapped back and he shook his head.  
"I don't know what you want from me Sookie." He sighed and she felt an anger rise within herself.  
"I want you to treat me like your woman, not like your fucking maker!" She shouted at him and he turned her around and held both her hands, pushing her against the wall.  
"Is this what you want?" He asked her and she sighed.  
"We will never have what you share with Nora." She told him and he threw her over his shoulder.  
"No, it is stronger than siblings." He told her, slapping her ass so hard she cried out.

That night, Eric claimed Sookie. She might have been the virginal maker to everyone else, but she was his whore that night. They laid together, afterwards and Eric watched as she stared at the ceiling.  
"I don't know why you won't believe me. I am yours, completely." He told her and she sighed, turning to him.  
"How could I capture a man who has never been satisfied in a thousand years?" She asked and he brushed a piece of hair away from her face.  
"You brought me back to life." He told her and she smiled, cuddling into him.  
"I will prove myself to you, Sookie Stackhouse. Just you wait and see."


	17. Leader

It seemed that running a vamp fae farm was a lucrative business, with the vamps transferring millions of dollars into an account set up for the newly named "born again vamps." Sookie had received countless requests to appear on television, from late night chat shows to morning women's programmes, she was in high demand. But with the threat from the faeries still fresh on her mind, Sookie sent Tara and Jess to a few of the offers, to keep the public profile positive.

Jason had been shunned by most. Although the response to Sookie's announcement had been received positively worldwide, Bon Temp was a little behind the fashion and called her a freak, a fairy and whatever other names they could find for her. He sighed whenever they would call her tinkerbell freak at work, she had done nothing but good and still she was being hated, and by association, Jason was being hated too. He had been accepted with Sam at Merlotte's. Sam asked too many questions, that Jason didn't know the answers to. But apart from that, he left Jason alone, apart from some football chat.

With all the talk of his sister being special and important, Jason felt a little left out. When he saw Tara on a ladies' panel show, he was taken aback. She was literally glowing and she was funny and witty, she won all of the ladies over. He looked around at his life, and wondered how much he had and came up with the conclusion of not a lot. Maybe, if he could be a bit more like Sookie, he could make something out of himself.

Jason called Sookie, but her line was busy. So, he gave Tara's number a call.  
"This better not be you, you son of a bitch." She answered.  
"And hello to you too." He huffed, remembering the last time that they had seen each other and she had thrown a drink in his face.  
"Don't hang up, please. I saw you on that girly show." He told her quickly, hoping that she wouldn't just put down the phone.  
"So did millions of other people." She replied and he chuckled.  
"You've always been a smart one, Tara." He told her and was met with silence.  
"What is it you want, Jason Stackhouse?" She asked after a while and he sighed.  
"I wanna be one." He said in a small voice.  
"A girl?!" She shouted down the phone.  
"NO! A vamp fae thing." He told her and heard her laugh down the phone.  
"Now that is a conversation for you to have with your sister." She told him and he sighed.  
"You and I both know that she is far too busy right now for me." He told her and she huffed.  
"Now why the fuck do you want to become one of us?" She asked and he gathered his thoughts for a minute.  
"I always wanted to be a vamp, lots of fucking, fast at running, but I couldn't be living at night and shit. But now that you can live in the day, why wouldn't I?" He asked and heard her huff.  
"Jason, I don't know." She told him and he cussed under his breath.  
"If I give you the address of where we are staying, you can come and ask her yourself, okay?"  
"Thank you so much Tara, you're the light of my life."  
"Oh fuck off."

Sookie was incredibly nervous for the first meeting with the witches. It would only be the born again vamps in attendance and she knew very little about witchcraft. It was early when they arrived, an hour after sunrise. Sookie was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she let her guests in. The cohort consisted of about ten members and they looked exactly as one would suspect. The leader's name was Gwen. She was a middle aged woman, with a long black braid and 100% recycled clothes. She embraced Sookie and sighed happily.  
"You feel so much better than a vampire." She cooed and Sookie thanked her a little awkwardly.

They all sat in a circle, on the floor, in the garden, requested by the witches.  
"So I understand that you are looking to build a wall?" She asked and Sookie nodded.  
"Between the fae and human realm, to protect both us and the faeries." Sookie told them. Gwen nodded and thought for a minute.  
"Well, that won't be too much of a problem, apart from the in betweens." She told Sookie.  
"What are inbetweens?" She asked and Gwen explained:  
"They are fae who exist between the two realms. For this to work, we must ask them all to make a choice. And fae don't really like making choices in my experience. They like it all." She rolled her eyes and Sookie sighed.  
"Is there anything that you would recommend?" She asked and Gwen thought for a moment.  
"We could go back to when they first left this plane and seal them all in." She suggested and Sookie shook her head.  
"No time travel, absolutely not." She was not even going to entertain that idea.  
"Then the wall it is. We will need to contact more witches, it will take a lot of manpower." She told Sookie.  
"You are willing to do it?" She asked and Gwen sighed.  
"The fae are dangerous and emotional. I am sure if they came here for war, they would kill us all."

Sookie invited to witches back once all of the vamps were turned.  
"Thank you, Sookie, for bringing these monsters into the light." Gwen embraced her as they left and Sookie smiled and wished them a safe journey. It was not going to be easy, but having the witches on board was a definite plus.

Eric had given Sookie her space. He understood that she had taken on too much already, with organising the witches and turning another vampire. He wanted to show support for her, but he found that a little hard. So, when he found the invite to the werewolf cookout, he saw an opportunity.

Sookie was sipping on a bottle of O neg when Eric placed the flier down in front of her.  
"This is not a time for you to get territorial, Eric." She told him and he chuckled a little.  
"I think we should go." He told her and she looked up at him with shock in her eyes.  
"Really?" She asked, a little taken aback.  
"Yes, I think so. It will help us unwind and we need to show our support of the wolves." He told her and she smiled a little.  
"I want to go." She told him and he laced an arm around her waist.  
"Then it's a date." He kissed her on the cheek and she felt herself blush.

Sookie was looking forward to a break, a time to have some good food and spend some much needed time with Eric. But, now that the vamps were able to walk around in daylight, things were getting a little more tricky. She would wake up to vampires crying rivers of blood at seeing the sun each morning and although it made her feel a little warm inside, she found the bloodstains on the carpet a huge inconvenience.

Now that the vamps all walked in the daylight, Sookie could hold lunchtime meetings, and share all sorts of human delicacies that the vamps had never tried. It made her smile, watching ten vamps salivate over fried chicken, or strawberries. They talked a lot on business and how they wished for their public image to be.  
"We can now be functioning members of society, and that means that we can involve ourselves in all forms of life. Even politics. I think it would be wonderful if someone would like to run for mayor or even an office." Sookie announced at lunch and her idea got people's minds reeling with the possibility of living in the daylight.

A topic of discussion that Sookie was not the most comfortable discussing was the vampire government, or the leadership of the "born again vamps." Eric would ask her to bring it up, but she hated the idea of another corrupt group like the Sanguinistas. However, one lunch, Eric stood and announced that he thought they should create a council of "born again vampires." The vamps were on board for the new government, with all present presiding over an area for the time being.  
"But we need a leader." Eric stated and Sookie wished she could have rolled her eyes.  
"I think it should be the oldest!" Freyda called out.  
"That would be ideal for you, as you are the oldest!" The King of California called out.  
"I propose it be Sookie." Eric interrupted and everyone fell silent.  
"She is the first of our kind, I can't see a better fit." He looked over to her, ignoring the horrified look on her face.

Sookie wished the ground would swallow her up in this moment.  
"Now, that isn't necessarily true." A familiar voice chimed in as Warlow rounded the corner.  
"And, if we're going on oldest, I win that one too." Sookie sighed and stood, to meet Warlow.  
"How did you get in?" She asked.  
"Faerie powers, my love." He brushed his fingertips against her cheek and she shuddered.  
"And who are you?" The King of California called out.  
"Of course, I am Warlow." He bowed to them all and smiled as they all began to whisper amongst themselves.  
"You're _the_ Warlow." Freyda asked.  
"The very same." He smiled.

Bill pulled Warlow up a seat.  
"So, you wish to be the leader of this new order?" He asked and Warlow chuckled, shaking his head.  
"Oh no. But I cannot be completely hands off. I was the first one, you must remember." He smiled to them all.  
"You killed our maker." Freyda spat at him.  
"I apologise. However, technically, if you go back far enough, I'm your oldest living maker." He told her and she sighed and slumped back in her chair.  
"Why are you here? I thought you wanted to stay out of everything?" Sookie sent over telepathically.  
"You need my help." He sent back and she sighed.  
"So, I see that human kind rather like you lot. I am happy, being one of you. If I had known it was going to be this easy, then I would have revealed myself a long time ago." He chuckled and Sookie sighed.  
"So, as the eldest here, who do you think should be the leader of this order?" Eric asked from across the room.  
"From my experience, it is better to not have one leader. I have watched men and women become sick with greed and lust for power, and it has destroyed nations." He admitted and Sookie nodded.  
"I agree. For now, we will have no one leader. It is not a healthy power structure." She announced and was impressed by how professional she sounded. After that, the meeting was adjourned.

Sookie could feel an obvious tension as Eric drove her to the were cookout.  
"I know you don't like him." She stated.  
"I don't trust him. It's different." He responded curtly.  
"Eric, he knows more about the faes than I ever will." She admitted and he sighed.  
"That's why I don't trust him." He told her.  
"I want to hear him out. Just see what kind of plan he has." She told him and he nodded.  
"Then do that."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Sookie already knew that she was not going to have a good time, because of the tension between her and Eric. She could sense his jealousy of Warlow and she could read from the thoughts he subconsciously projected, that he was jealous of the fact that they were both born fae, not turned. Sookie wished that she could tell him that it didn't matter at all. But she didn't want Eric thinking that she was rummaging around in his brain.

Sookie was shocked at how comfortable Eric seemed with the weres. He shook everyone's hand and took a burger he was offered. She watched him chatting with some wolves while she stood with Alcide.  
"So, what's going on with you two then?" He asked and Sookie shot him a warning look. He held his hands up to his chest and chuckled.  
"I'm only asking." He defended himself. She smiled and sighed.  
"I wanna be with him. But it seems so hard at the moment, with everything going on." She told him, shaking her head.  
"That's exactly the kind of time you need someone like Northman. Let him take you out to nice places and spoil you and let you forget about all that's going on right now." Sookie was shocked at Alcide's suggestion.  
"And here I was thinking you didn't like Eric."  
"I respect him, never said I like him." He told her and she nodded, taking the hint.

They only stayed for a few burgers and a couple of hours of chatting.  
"Remember what I said." Alcide whispered to Sookie when he hugged her goodbye. She smiled up at him and nodded, waving goodbye.

On the car ride home, Eric asked what she and Alcide had been talking about.  
"He says I should let you spoil me." She came out with the truth.  
"One thing we agree on." He told her, his eyes glued to the road.  
"But I don't want a new fancy car, or designer clothes. I wouldn't be Sookie with all of those things." She told him and he sighed.  
"I know how you feel about these things." He told her flatly.  
"But maybe a spa break or something might be nice." She suggested and he looked over to her, eyebrows raised.  
"Would you like that?" He asked and she looked out of the window.  
"Well, everything is so stressful at the moment. Maybe a hot tub would help things a little." She smiled sheepishly and he chuckled.  
"You're the first woman who has asked for so little. It is strange." He stated, remembering all of the requests that women had given him over time.  
"I'll try and think of something better." She told him and he shook his head.  
"No, consider it done."

Sookie was glad that she and Eric might have a few days away from everything once their vamps were turned. But as she was thinking about hot tubs and champagne with Eric, her eyes fell on Jason in the drive and she felt her little safe haven slip away.


	18. Family

"What are you doing here?!" Sookie spat at her brother, knowing it wasn't safe for him in a hotel full of turning vampires.  
"Sookie, just listen, okay?" He asked and she sighed, shaking her head, pulling him in.

They sat together and she asked him to explain.  
"I want to be one of you." He told her and she let her eyes widen in shock.  
"Why would you ever want that, Jason?" She asked and he felt that he shouldn't have to justify his decision.  
"Because you guys can walk in the sun!" He replied impatiently.  
"So can you." She reminded him.  
"But what have I done that is special?" He asked her and she sighed.  
"You are special to many people, Jason." She told him and he asked her who.  
"Do you think that becoming a vampire will make you successful?" She asked and he shrugged his shoulders.  
"It worked for you." He told her and she let her head fall into her hands.  
"You understand what you are asking right now? You will be ending our family tree." She told him and he looked down at his hands.  
"We can't have families, Jason. We can't have children. It breaks my heart and it would break my heart if you couldn't have children either." She told him.  
"Why can't you have kids?" He asked.  
"Because we're dead." She stated plainly and Jason was shocked at how blunt she was.  
"I can see how this seems like a better option. But, it isn't. We are facing problems that you cannot even imagine right now and it doesn't look like it is going to get any easier any time soon." She told him.  
"I would rather use one of my new connections to find you a position as a football coach in a different state. You could find a wife, have some kids, and if you still want to be one of us then, I will turn you." She told him.

Jason sat back for a minute and thought about her offer. He had never imagined being able to have a different life as a human. He wanted to be a father, he wanted to make a difference. Maybe he could do that coaching football.  
"Do you really think you could get me a coaching job?" He asked and she nodded.  
"I am sure it won't be a problem. Just please, go home for now. It is not safe for you to be here." She told him and he nodded, pulling her into a bear hug. She had to pull away, because she hadn't fed in a while and he smelt so damn good.

Sookie hated that her brother thought that the only way to be successful was to become a born again vamp. She was sure that this was going to become a more regular request, even from humans. Because it seemed that born again vamps could have it all. But Sookie knew that that wasn't true. There was so much that she had lost when she was turned and given the opportunity, she would snatch back her mortality in an instant.

Bill had been walking through the hotel when he heard Sookie chatting with her brother.  
"It breaks my heart." He heard her and he was hit by a wave of regret, of remorse. He had started all of this and even though it seemed like it had improved vampire-kind, he had stolen something very special away from Sookie.

He watched her, after Jason left. She placed her head into her hands and wept. He sighed and stood in front of her.  
"Sookie." He cooed to her and she looked up at him, her face stained with blood.  
"It has been a long time since you have said that." She smiled up at him and shook her head.  
"I don't know what to say." He said as he sat down. She was still angry, but she had no more room to hold resentment.  
"I'm sorry, Sookie. I stole the one thing you valued in your life." He apologised and that caused a new wave of tears to stream down her face.

Sookie let Bill pull her to his chest. There was something familiar about it that comforted her.  
"I'm never gonna be a Mother." She told him and he smoothed her hair.  
"I know. I'm sorry." He stroked her hair as she gently wept and he felt one tear fall onto his cheek. If Sookie hadn't been able to walk in the sun after, he was sure she would have killed him. But here they were, entangled as they used to be.  
"I never wanted it to be over." He whispered to her. She sighed and shook her head.  
"I gave you my life. I thought we were the real deal." She told him. "But then you freaked out and couldn't handle what I became." She pulled away, wiping her face.  
"What is done is done. I will help vampires in need, but I will not take people's mortality to become one of us. It's not right." She told him, shaking her head.

Bill watched as Sookie left. His shirt was covered in blood and he felt guilty for the arousal he felt from being covered in Sookie's blood. In the past, he would have ripped her clothes off and they would have had bloody sex, right there on the couch. The thought of it seemed too good to ponder. So, he got up and went in search of Freyda, hoping to burn off some steam.

Sookie, on the other hand, wanted to pass out for ten years minimum. It all seemed so complicated. The vamps were almost fae, Warlow was living under the same roof and she had just cried into the chest of Bill Compton. She missed her life, working at Merlotte's. She would have even taken the times where Eric had her complete missions, over this. It was confusing and new and it felt like everyone was having a good time, apart from her.

Eric could feel her stress as he lay beside her that night. They were awoken in the early hours of the morning, as one of the vamps turned, and then another and another. Soon, there wasn't a single vamp left in the house. They all sat around the table, Sookie in her dressing gown.  
"Now," Eric took over, sending Sookie a thought to relax and let him do the talking.  
"No crossing into the fae world. You will be killed." Eric announced.  
"By the faes?" Freyda asked.  
"If not by them, by us upon return." He told them and they all nodded.  
"The faeries are not to be harmed. You might not have anything to do with them, but they are mine and Sookie's family." Warlow added.  
"Exactly." Eric said through gritted teeth.  
"Also, for the time being, no feeding in public." Eric was met with a series of complaints at this one.  
"We will bring donors to the hotel. But we have too great an opportunity to ruin it with our old ways." He told them.  
"Feel free to explore the human world. But always wear sunscreen. We might be able to walk in the sun, but that doesn't mean you're going to get a tan." Eric joked and they all nodded.  
"That is all for now." He dismissed the meeting and Sookie sighed, wondering what was going to happen next.

She couldn't go back to sleep and Eric knew this. So, he packed some bags and took her hand.  
"We need to get away from this for a while." He told her and she nodded.

Sookie didn't know where they were going. But when Eric pulled up at the airport, she felt her stomach drop.  
"Eric, I don't know-"  
"Trust me, okay?" He asked her and after a second, she nodded.

Sookie hadn't realised the true extent of Eric's wealth. They were greeted by a steward, at the steps of a private jet.  
"This is insane." She told him as they strapped in.  
"You deserve it." He told her, taking her aback.

Sookie fell asleep as soon as they took off. Eric watched her and wondered what she had planned for the future, or if she had anything planned. Eric only ever had business plans. He had never made a personal plan before. But he looked at Sookie and he wanted to make plans with her, he wanted to do the traditional couple things. He shook it off and reminded himself that they were vampires and that life did not suit them well.

When they touched down in France, the sun was high in the sky.  
"I have never been further than New York." She told him, as they climbed into the porsche.  
"Well, now you have." He told her, starting up the car.

Sookie rather liked everything being taken care of. She hadn't had to worry about anything, he had taken care of every last detail. As they drove along, she looked out at the scenery and wondered if maybe she could make more of her life as a vampire. She could provide for those that she loved, she could maybe do some good.

The french air cleared her head and reminded Sookie what was important. She placed her hand over Eric's and smiled up at him.  
"Thank you." She whispered, feeling very grateful for him in that moment. He took her hand and kissed her palm, glad to see her so calm for once.

When they reached the vineyard, Sookie was lost for words. It was a vintage winery. She had seen places like this in the movies, but she could have never dreamt of seeing one in real life.  
"I have had this place since the renaissance. It produces some of the best wine in the world." He told her and she couldn't wrap her head around a renaissance Eric, purchasing this place with long wavy hair and tights.  
"Such a long time." She thought aloud, as he lead her through the rustic reception room.  
"Yes, time seems to mean less when you live forever. But even I can say that was a very long time ago." He told her and she smiled up at him, so glad to be away from everything.

Although the winery was old, Eric had kept it updated with all the new gear. It had an indoor swimming pool, a hot tub, massage rooms, everything.  
"Sometimes, I allow a select few to come and stay, if they are thinking of buying a lot of wine." He told her and she nodded, wondering how much he made from the wine.  
"About three million a year." He answered her unspoken question. She felt her mouth drop and her eyes widen.  
"You become good at business when you had lived so long." He told her, kissing her open mouth.

Sookie was left to change into more comfortable clothes and she sat out on the balcony. There, she was met with a fresh croissant. She couldn't quite believe it. She took a bite and shook her head, giggling at how good it tasted. This life seemed impossible. How did Eric get anything done when he had this paradise at his fingertips.

Eric had never been so placid with someone in his life. He gently pushed Sookie around the pool as she floated, truly relaxed. He had never seen her this way in his life. After they swam, they sat out in the late afternoon sun and he combed her hair.  
"I used to comb my mother's hair, when I was young." He told her and she wondered how it must have felt to not see your mother for a century.  
"Vikings took very good care of their hair. It gave us a great sense of pride." He told her and she enjoyed listening to Eric talk about his human life.  
"What was she like?" She asked and he sighed.  
"She was beautiful. Blue eyes and long blonde hair. She was tall and slender." He told her and she waited for more.  
"She used to sing me an old norse hymn before I slept." He told her as he began to braid her hair.  
"She had the most beautiful singing voice." He told her. After a minute, he began singing the old hymn, the fact that he remembered it making him proud, after all these years.

Sookie thought she might cry, hearing Eric sing his people's song. He stopped once he finished the hymn and sighed.  
"I have never shared that with anyone before." He told her and she turned, seeing a stream of blood down his cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb.  
"Family is the most important thing in our lives." She told him and he took her hand in his.  
"You are my family now, Sookie." He told her and she smiled up at him.  
"Although, I do have some descendents in Norway, that I still send money to every year." He admitted and Sookie was fascinated.  
"Who do they think you are?!" She asked, wondering what alias he used.  
"They know now, who I am. In another life, I am sure I would have been close with them. But the generations pass by so quickly, I try not to get attached." He told her and she sighed, hoping that she never viewed time in that way.

Eric felt his wall breaking down and that made him uncomfortable. So, he made sure to be a man in other ways, taking Sookie in every room in the winery. They had only ever done it in a bed. So he was grateful to be able to ravage her in more situations. He saw her walking through the grape vines one day and ran up behind her and took her there, in amongst the grapes. She cried out and giggled, feeling so much pleasure in such a short amount of time.

When she and Bill had made love, it had been fantastic, but he had gone easy on her, because she was a human. But now that she was a vampire, Eric held nothing back and gave her everything all the time. She had never felt anything like it. She had never had so much attention paid to her. He was all hers and she loved it.

Eric had masseuses and beauticians brought in to pamper Sookie beyond belief. Her skin had never felt so good in her life. However, she had to remind herself to remember where she came from and not get too swept up in this luxurious way of living. After a few days, she was done with being pampered, and wanted to return home.

On the flight, Sookie watched Eric sleep and felt a little stressed by how deep his feelings seemed to be. She had never seen him act this way with anyone before, and it scared her. She feared that his feelings would burn bright and then dim quickly. But that was not what scared her the most. What if he wanted to be with her forever? Could she see herself being with him for the rest of her existence? She didn't know. Her mind still floated to Bill and even Alcide at times. Even Warlow crept in there now and then. Was she ready for the kind of commitment he was seeking? She wasn't sure.


	19. Sacrifice

Sookie had expected for the hotel to have fallen into chaos whilst she was away. However, it seemed that the small cohort had found their rhythm, with Freyda dealing with public appearances, Pam dealing with new applications and Bill had entered into talks with a few politicians who were very keen to build a strong relationship with the born again vampires.

Eric was whisked away by Pam the minute that they returned. Sookie asked around, to see if anyone had been in communication with the witches and Jessica handed her a letter.  
 _Sookie,  
_ _We are recruiting the manpower we need. But we need someone who knows the fae to broadcast a message to the inbetweens. If you know anyone, that would be very helpful.  
_ _See you soon.  
_ _Gwen._

Sookie sighed and shook her head. The only person she knew that had ties with the fae world was Warlow. She hated asking him for anything. But, if he wanted to stick around and be made useful, then she would make him useful.

Warlow had been left very much alone since his arrival. He understood that he was not the most popular character around. But when Sookie knocked at his door, he had to admit he was surprised.  
"I need your help." She told him and he smiled down at her.  
"I have been waiting for you to say that." He bragged.

Sookie had to build a firm wall around her thoughts. Warlow was a far more experienced fae than she and she knew that he would read her mind at any given opportunity. She sat down on the edge of his bed, it being the only available surface. The room was tidy and neat, which she appreciated. But she couldn't help feeling his stare on her and it made her hot in a way that she hated to admit.

Warlow loved watching her squirm. He could feel the barricade she had set for him and that led him to believe that there was something that she didn't want him to know, something he was sure she was ashamed of.  
"Do you know anything about the inbetweens?" She asked and he sighed.  
"Awful creatures. They want it all." He told her and she waited for him to continue.  
"They flit between the two realms as they please. Why?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.  
"We need to alert them to pick a realm before we build the wall between ourselves." She told him and he sighed and shook his head.  
"Now, they're not going to like that." He told her and stood to bring his chair closer to her.

Sookie had never really looked at Warlow before. She supposed he was handsome. His hair was soft and curly, pushed back off his face and his skin was tanned. His eyes were green, but it was more his energy and essence that palpitated from him that she found sexy. She hated to admit it, but she started to sweat as they sat so close.  
"Why didn't you tell me you had a fae problem?" He asked her and she sighed.  
"I thought you would blame me for endangering our people." She told him and he smiled.  
"I like when you say 'our people'." He grinned and she sighed.  
"I could make this easier for you, Sookie." The way he said her voice in his untraceable accent made Sookie a little weak.  
"How?" She asked and he sighed.  
"I could take you into the fae realm and discuss with them. Failing that, we murder them all." The lightness with which he said it made Sookie feel a little sick.  
"I can't believe I am saying this, but I actually think you have improved on what I started with the vampires." He told her and she shook her head.  
"I'm not sure about that."  
"Don't doubt yourself. I have had a lot of time to think and maybe the vamp fae are the new breed of fae, an evolution if you will. If we have to lose the fae to survive, then so be it." Sookie was confused.  
"I thought you loved fae and hated vampires?" She asked and he shrugged his shoulders.  
"I want an easy life for myself. If we can tame the beast that I created, then that is only a good thing." He told her, placing a hand on her knee.  
"Warlow, stop." She removed his hand and he smiled up at her.  
"I have been alive a lot longer than your viking boyfriend, and I can assure you I have learnt more tricks than him." He whispered to her, his finger running circles on her knee. She couldn't help but shudder and he smiled in response.  
"I'll let you think about everything." He told her and let her out of his room.

Sookie walked for a long while and found herself sat in the garden. Her mind wandered and she couldn't help thinking about the 'skills' that Warlow had spoken about. If they did go on this mission together, would she really be able to restrain herself? He was her equal, they were both fae then vampire and something about that made her feel close to him in a strange way. She sighed and let her head fall into her hands, unsure of what to do.

Jessica could feel Sookie's confusion. She had a knack for emotions since she had been turned fae. She went and sat beside Sookie in the garden and listened while she told her of Warlow's plan.  
"Hmm, I don't know Sookie. We barely know this guy. Who's to say he won't kidnap you and keep you in the fae realm forever?" She asked and Sookie sighed, knowing that her instincts were valid.  
"I trust him, for some reason. He hasn't taken me there before now. He is technically more powerful than any of us, so he could have and he hasn't." She told her and Jessica nodded.  
"I will never advise you to not do what you believe in. Have you told Eric?" She asked and Sookie blushed.  
"No, and I don't think he's going to like it." She told her and Jessica nodded.  
"I don't think you're wrong about that." She agreed and Sookie contemplated whether she should tell him, or just go and get it done.

Sookie hated herself for it, but she didn't want Eric to worry about her, so she left Jess and knocked on Warlow's door.  
"Let's do it." She told him, watching him as he grinned.

Sookie had never seen anything like it. The portal glowed gold and Sookie had to trust both herself and Warlow as she stepped through. He interlocked his fingers in hers, so that they wouldn't get lost. But Sookie couldn't help feeling sweaty at his touch as they flew through the portal.

When they crashed down in the fae plane, Warlow helped Sookie up.  
"Well, I never thought I would be here again." He admitted and Sookie feared that they had made a massive mistake.  
"You know how to get out of here, right?" She asked and he nodded, but it was not massively convincing to her.

Sookie had to admit that the fae realm was beautiful. It was a luscious place, full of fertility and growth. She thought it was as close to the garden of Eden as she would ever get.  
"Wow." She couldn't help gazing up at the beautiful clear sky.  
"I know, right." He smiled over at her. Sookie wondered how they were going to find anyone to speak to, but within a minute or so, a beautiful woman, dressed in a draped dress, approached them.  
"The Master would like to speak with you." She informed them and Warlow gave Sookie a warning look and took her hand, following the woman.

They walked for a few minutes before the woman spoke.  
"I never thought I would see you again, Warlow." She turned back and gave him a filthy look.  
"We have important business." He told her and she looked over to Sookie.  
"Of course, you couldn't return without your new spawn." She told him and Sookie wanted to say something, until Warlow squeezed her hand to warn her.

They arrived at a glass enclosure.  
"The committee are in a meeting. You may go in." She told them. Sookie felt herself shake as Warlow lead her into the glass house. She was hit with a wall of sweet aromas. It was as if she was a kid in a candy store, with so many fae in one place.

They all turned, with disgust on their faces when they saw Sookie and Warlow. The Master stood and Sookie thought that he looked like a character from Lord of the Rings, with long blond hair and a white cloak.  
"We have been expecting you." He announced and Sookie smiled and tried to look friendly.  
"Sit." He ordered and Sookie had never seen Warlow so subservient before.

The Committee all sat and stared at the pair for a few minutes, before the Master spoke.  
"I never thought this day would come." He told them and Sookie was unsure what he was talking about.  
"Warlow, you forced us from the human plane. We were forced into exile because of the abominations that you created." He told him. Warlow appeared to have nothing to say, so then he turned to Sookie.  
"And you, you have taken our beautiful blood and used it to create more hybrid monsters, who can invade our realm and kill us all! I don't know who to be more furious at!" He huffed and sat back down.

Even though Warlow tugged on her hand, Sookie stood.  
"Sir, I am sorry for any offense that I have caused you." She began and he shook his head and sighed.  
"I was turned into a monster against my will. I would have never wished for this life, nor would I have ever wished it on anyone else. I was so blessed that what fae blood I had saved my existence, I wanted to bestow that blessing onto others, to suppress their appetite." She told him and he stood.  
"But now, you have given these monsters access into our world." He told her and she shook her head.  
"This was never my intention. I never wanted to cause any harm to any fae. I love my people and I am heartbroken by what the vampires have turned me into. But I cannot undo what has been done." She paused and felt the animosity die down ever so slightly.  
"I don't want any harm to fall upon any fae. I don't want the vampires, or humans harming you. Because if we go to war, the humans will learn about this realm soon enough and we all know what happens when humans get their hands on something new." There was a grumble of agreement.  
"I have not been here long. But, I think that your world is too beautiful and you are too kind of a people to be at such risk. I fear the only way of ensuring your safety is to close the portal between our worlds forever." She finished and the members of the Committee cried out in rage at the idea. However, when the Master stood, they fell into silence.  
"Sookie, I am grateful for your words, and I understand that you are trying to improve your world. But I cannot have you threatening my people. I think it is best that we cooperate with your plans. Your world is not best suited to our kind. So we will lose nothing from closing the portal with your realm." He announced and Sookie felt a weight leave her shoulders.

However, she knew that there was going to be a catch.  
"But, you have to leave Warlow with us." The Master told her and she sighed, looking over at Warlow, with pain in her eyes.  
"The amount of faes that he slaughtered before my eyes. He drained them of their blood for his own satisfaction. We cannot allow him to return to your world. He must stay here to receive his punishment." He told her and Sookie sighed.  
"You have not taken the life of any fae, so we have no ill will towards you. All I will say is that be careful, the vampires will never be your family. Fae blood runs through your veins and once you close that portal, we will be gone forever." He warned her and Sookie felt a weight twice the size of the one she had just released.

They gave Sookie and Warlow time to discuss everything.  
"Did you know they would ask this?" She asked him and he looked down at his feet.  
"I always thought that I wanted to end the vampires. But it seems that you are remedying my mistakes and extermination is not necessary." He told her and Sookie was shocked to feel tears streaming down her face.  
"You didn't answer my question." She told him and he huffed.  
"I had a feeling." He told her and she shook her head.  
"And you let me bring you anyway?" She asked and he nodded.  
"I want to be with my people, Sookie. Even if that means being tortured. The fae do not believe in ending another fae life, ever. So, I think I will be safe." He told her and she shook her head.  
"You cannot be expecting me to leave you?" She asked and he pressed his lips against her forehead.  
"I am passing the vampire baton onto you now. They are your responsibility. You will be the only fae born vampire on the mortal plane. Don't let them think they are better than you because they have lived longer, okay?" He pulled her into an embrace.  
"What about marriage, and kidnapping and killing them all if they dont agree?" She asked, suddenly missing his threats.  
"I wanted them more than anything. But, they are not in the cards for us, Sookie Stackhouse. I cannot kill more of my people" He told her and she realised that he had fooled her into bringing him to the fae plane. She shook her head and wiped the tears from under her eyes.  
"You gave me everything. You brought me back to my people. You gave me what the vampires took away." He told her and she sighed.  
"So, you really want this?" She asked and he nodded.  
"I will save my people by staying." He told her and she sighed, nodding.

Sookie met with the Master alone.  
"I accept your terms. You can have Warlow, and we will close the portal." She told him and he nodded.  
"In a way, I understand what you have done. You want to save your people, I am just trying to do the same." He told her and she nodded.  
"I am sorry you will be alone on your plane, but it is a choice you made." He told her.  
"They need me." She told him and he nodded.  
"Yes, you are one that we will not forget, Sookie Stackhouse. I never wanted this to end in war. I am glad our threats were as far as it got." He took her hand.  
"I wish you could have stayed with us. But I understand it is not to be. I will recall our fae in the mortal realm, give me three days, then close the portal. The fae who are in your realm will be there by choice by then." He told her and she nodded.

She watched as they took Warlow away and she had a horrible feeling that she was making a mistake. He smiled back at her with no regret in his eyes.  
"Take care Sookie, you are going to be the light of the world." He projected his thought into her mind and she smiled.  
"I hope you are happy with your people" She thought back and she shook the Master's hand, before being placed back in her realm, at the time she left.

When Sookie returned alone, she went to the garden to sit with Jessica. She was the only one who knew the plan.  
"Did you decide against it?" She asked and Sookie shook her head.  
"It's done." She told her and Jessica's eyes widened.  
"Where's Warlow?" She asked and Sookie shook her head.  
"They wanted him, and he wanted to stay." Jessica pulled Sookie into an embrace and she held her for as long as she needed.  
"It shouldn't have been so easy." Sookie told her and Jessica smoothed her hair.  
"You are losing your people. That doesn't sound easy to me." She told her and Sookie let her tears flow.


	20. Unchanging

Eric was outraged when he heard what had happened.  
"So, you decided to go into the fae realm, with a man who has threatened to kidnap you, without telling me?" He asked bluntly, in disbelief.  
"Eric, it was a spur of the moment decision." She told him and he sighed and shook his head.  
"Why did you let him stay?" He asked and she thought back to the begging look on his face.  
"He wanted to be with his people, even if that meant eternal torture." She explained and Eric huffed in response.  
"What about you? They are your people too?" He reminded her and she looked down at her hands.  
"I would have loved to stay with my people. But you all need me here." She told him and watched as he raised his eyebrows in shock.  
"So, we are your second choice? You would rather be prancing in faerie fields with Warlow, but you have to babysit us instead?" He asked and she stood.  
"Eric, I'm not having this argument with you. I chose you, I chose this plane, I chose you. But that still isn't enough." She disappeared then, running away as fast as she could.

She wondered who she could talk to who would understand. But the reality was, that she was the only creature of her kind on this plane now. She sat in her car and rested her head on the steering wheel.

Sleep took Sookie after a few minutes and she awoke, drooling on the leather. She had to get back to what she knew. She didn't fully understand why they had to hide out in the hotel anymore, when the vampires had welcomed them. She decided that she had had enough of the hotel, and becoming part of a nest. She wanted to be in her home, where she was comfortable.

She drove all the way back to Bon Temp. Sam hadn't been expecting Sookie for a long time. But, when she appeared at the back door of the bar, he invited her into his office for a drink.  
"Sook, why didn't you tell me?" He asked her and she sighed.  
"I didn't wanna bring you into any of this. It wasn't safe. It still isn't fully safe." She told him and he took her hand.  
"You know you will always have my protection." He told her and she smiled.  
"Thank you, Sam." She squeezed his hand.  
"I was in hiding for a few weeks. But, I'm going to move back into my house. I want to be back in Bon Temp again." She told him and he furrowed his brows.  
"I thought you would be moving to Washington, or New York." He told her and she shook her head, chuckling.  
"I have others to go there for me. I am no city girl. You know that." She told him and he nodded.

Sam scurried around his office, to find some silver chains he had stored away.  
"Take these, in case you need them." He handed them over to her and she smiled up at him.  
"Thank you, Sam." She took the chains and decided that she would chain up the front and back doors of her home.

When she arrived home, she felt a sense of comfort that she hadn't realised had been missing. She had half expected her walls to be graffitied and her house to be trashed. But it hadn't been touched, which she was grateful for.

She sat down on her sofa and sighed, letting her head fall into her hands. She had experienced so much here. From when she had moped her grandmother's blood off of the floor, to having to take Tina down from the fan. She had experienced so much death in this house. But, the good far outweighed the bad. The joyful moments she had shared with Tara and Jason as children, the lustful moments she had spent with Bill, and later Eric. Once she thought of Bill and Eric, her mind couldn't move.

She thought about the trip that she and Bill had taken before he had turned her. She was sure that she was planning to stay in New York. She was convinced that he would ask her to stay. She knew that she would never live in a big city and she had hoped that he had known the too. But, he obviously had hoped that she would change.

Was Sookie being selfish? Was she always asking everyone else to change, whilst she remained her concrete self? For the first time, she started to see it from another perspective. She had agreed to take on this burden from Warlow. But, she was running from it, to be in the same place she had lived for over two decades. She had an eternity set out before her and she knew that she could not spend it all in this little house. Not only would it be lonely, but she couldn't expect others to change for her if she was never going to budge an inch.

She sighed as she climbed back into her car. Eric had every right to be angry about Warlow. She could have been stuck in the fae world forever, and then what? She had acted recklessly and it could have ruined everything.

Eric hadn't heard her come in, being fast asleep. But when he felt Sookie's arms lace around him, his eyes fluttered open.  
"I'm sorry." She told him and he sighed.  
"Life will never be boring with you." He told her and she smiled against his back.


	21. Close the Portal

Sookie wanted the business over with the faeries as soon as possible. She had given the Master the time that he had asked for and hoped that all of the in-betweens had made their decision and chosen a side. If not, it was too late now.

She still felt an emptiness when she thought about the only portal to her race being closed forever. She was sure she had no desire to see her people again. But when she thought about how peaceful Warlow seemed, being back with his people, she wondered if she had made the wrong choice.

The feeling of regret never seemed to stick and Sookie was invited to the witch circle to close the portal.  
"This is the oldest portal we know of, it will be sad to see it go." Gwen sighed, tying her hair back into a long straight ponytail.

Sookie had brought only Jessica along, not wanting to be bombarded with people. She was grateful that the vamps, born again vamps and wolves trusted her enough to do this, to squash the threat. But, Sookie was sure that she was there only as a symbol of vampire and faerie support. That was until she was called forward.

Gwen took Sookie's hand and looked down at the forest floor.  
"Sookie, I'm sorry but we need some of your blood." She told her and Sookie sighed and nodded.  
"It's just, you are the only one who can open the portal now." She told her.  
"So, after this, can I still open the portal?" She asked, surprising herself with the question.  
"No. Once the connection is gone, it's gone."

It was worrying how comfortably Sookie carved the knife into her hand. She watched as the blood dripped down onto the stone and sighed, seeing the portal open. No one else could see it, it seemed, as they all sat and waited. But Sookie looked in and saw Warlow, dressed in the cream tunic, hands shackled, but smiling wide. He looked over to her and nodded, confirming that he had made the right decision.  
"Do it, the portal is open." She told Gwen and they all took each other's hands and began chanting as Sookie stood away from the group.  
"What do you think we will do after this?" Jessica whispered, trying to distract Sookie from the ceremony.  
"I think we make some money." She smiled in a way that shocked and excited Jessica.  
"You have lived in the shadows for so long, we should have a little fun." She smiled over and Jessica grinned, until she saw it, the light leave Sookie's eyes for the briefest of moments.

Sookie felt as if her soul had been ripped from her body. The chanting became yelling and then, suddenly, she felt her essence flow back through her and doubled over, having never felt anything like it before.

Gwen rushed over after it was all done.  
"It is done." She told Sookie.  
"I am glad we were able to do it. Sookie, they tried to steal your soul into their world." She told her and Sookie sighed.  
"They didn't want to let me go." She chuckled, shaking her head.  
"You seem very calm." Gwen commented and she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.  
"They can't hurt me anymore." And Gwen agreed that it was a job well done.

They exchanged money and went their separate ways. Sookie was unsure if she liked the witches. But she did like how efficiently they worked. When she returned to the hotel, she was greeted by everyone waiting with baited breath.  
"So?" Pam asked and Sookie told them that the portal was closed and that the faeries were gone.

It seemed that everyone wanted to celebrate. They were safe and the born again vamps wanted to party. Sookie was unsure, until Eric showed her the dress and heels he had bought her for the occasion and she decided that maybe it was time to let off a little steam.

It had been a long time since Sookie had seen Eric so smart. He wore his classic white shirt, top four buttons undone, with a perfectly fitted suit. His hair was slicked and Sookie found it hard not to stare.

She had learnt a while ago not to complain about Eric's choices. So she wiggled into the cobalt blue dress and sighed when she turned around and found it seriously lacking in the length department. It wasn't tight over her behind, she was glad to see. But the low plunge more than made up for it. It was a sweet cocktail dress, which made her feel feminine and pretty, which she had not felt in a long while.

Eric helped her with her shoes. He had not dressed her since the date night that Warlow had interrupted. He had outdone himself this time, he was convinced. He wanted it to be just them again, for a while. He was sick of faeries and politics and talks of war. He wanted to get back to Fangtasia and starting a life with Sookie, properly this time.

Bill sighed when he saw Eric and Sookie stood together, waiting for everyone to be ready. He had never asked Sookie to dress up for him. She had, on occasions, but never to the standard she did with Eric. He thought it was perhaps because he bought the dresses for her, and he regretted never buying her outfits he wished to see her in. However, he feared it would be less cleavage, and more petticoats.

It had been decided that they would go to a large club in Jackson, that Freyda had recommended. It had been too long since any of them had been able to drink human blood, and Sookie supposed, if they wanted to find a fangbanger, they could. But the rule of no public drinking still stood, much to the party's dismay.

Eric lead Sookie over to his Maseratti.  
"I haven't seen this one before." She told him, looking down at the canary yellow sports car.  
"It's not really your colour." She chuckled, wondering what had possessed him to buy a yellow car, when the rest of his collection was red and black.  
"It's not my car." He told her and she chuckled, shaking her head.  
"That cannot be my car." She giggled and he smiled over at her.  
"I got you the best on the market. In the same shit colour as your old car." He joked with her.  
"You got a problem with blondes?" She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled as he threw her the keys.  
"Ask me in a couple of hours."

Sookie hated to admit it, but she loved the car. She had never felt so powerful in her life. It whipped around corners and glided over the tarmac like a hovercraft. She couldn't believe that cars ever felt like that, after having her little unreliable motor for so many years. She knew that Eric could sense her excitement and joy, but she didn't care in that moment, wanting to let him know how grateful she was for her gift.

Bill's mouth fell open when she saw Sookie climb out of the driver's seat of the Maserati. He had never had as much of a flair with cars as Eric had. He preferred a sustainable option. But Eric loved the show. He had never thought that Sookie liked cars, but he hated to admit that she looked pretty good climbing out of it.

It had been so long since Sookie had been in a vamp bar, that she had almost forgotten what it was like. This club was like Fangtasia on acid. There were more stripper poles, more fangbangers, and no gift shops. This was the real deal and for the first time, Sookie was the hunter, not the hunted.

Sookie and Eric led the pack, hand in hand and neither of them had ever experienced a response like it. Even Eric had never had the amount of attention that he received in those few moments.  
"Is that Eric Northman?"  
"The Sheriff of Area 5?"  
"He's with the faerie girl!"  
"Are they together?"  
"Fuck, they smell so good."  
"Is he one of them?"

So many questions were whispered all at once. The idea that Eric Northman, the Nordic Vampire, was now a faerie, was unthinkable to most. However, once Sookie and Eric had walked through the club and sat in their booth together, it was understood that the faes were in the house, and that Sookie and Eric were their leaders.

Eric thrived from the attention. He had been used to having beggers at Fangtasia. But the vamps climbed over one another to jump the queue to meet Sookie.  
"I have never smelt someone so sweet in my life." A male vamp with short blonde hair told her.  
"Thank you." Eric answered for her and he moved on, making way for the next vamp.  
"What is it like to walk in the sun?" He asked Eric and he told him it was like having a thousand orgasms at the same time, which shocked Sookie, but excited the vamp.

It took a little while for everyone in the club to meet Sookie and Eric. In the meantime, the rest of the born again vamps were mingling and dancing. Bill watched on as Freyda stuck her tongue down a young human's throat and shuddered. He had pretty quickly decided that he wasn't interested in her, but this solidified that for him. He was approached by various female vampires, asking about being turned. He told each one of them the same thing, that there was a waiting list, and that they could call to enquire, handing them a business card. He had never been one for dancing, so he didn't mind chatting and liaising while Eric and Sookie basked in all the glory.

Sookie grew tired of the crowds after a while, not wanting to meet anymore vamps or humans.  
"Why can't we just dance?" She asked Eric, wanting to forget about the whole soul sucking that had been attempted earlier that evening. He took her hand and led her down to the dancefloor. People made way, smelling them before seeing them and Sookie blushed as Eric grabbed her waist when the song began.

Although some danced along, most of the vamps stood and watched Sookie and Eric. He wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her hips against his in a way she had never done before. She felt herself performing moves that she had no idea she had the capability or talent for before. She could feel Eric's energy flowing through her, she could see the lust in his eyes. They had never danced like this before and knowing that everyone was watching turned her on even more. She had needed this, a night of pure passion.

Before the song had even ended, Sookie leant Eric down and whispered in his ear that she wanted to get out of the club, with him. He growled at her in the way that made Sookie weak at the knees and within an instant she was in his arms and they were out of the club.

Sookie didn't have a chance to complain, before Eric turned to keys in the ignition and started driving.  
"I thought this was my car." She chuckled and he looked over at her and grinned.  
"My black one hasn't arrived yet. So I will drive yours for now." He told her and she pouted.  
"I thought you didn't want a fancy car." He told her and she huffed, shaking her head and giggled a little, realising she might have been wrong about the car.

She had no idea where they were headed, until she recognised her street. Eric had taken her back to her house. He was out of the car and pulling her into his arms within a second. Sookie couldn't believe that he had brought her back to her house. She had expected a fancy hotel, or even out in the car outside of the club. But he threw her down on the sofa that her Gran used to drink her iced tea on and ripped her dress off. He kissed her, attempting to cover every inch of her body, until he bit down on her flesh and heard her cry out.

Sookie couldn't believe that he had bitten her. If that was the game he wanted to play, then she would play it, she grabbed his arm and bit down on his wrist, watching as his head snapped up in shock, eyes wide and blood dripping down his chin. She didn't stop as he looked at her and he snarled, biting her again.

He hadn't truly fucked her before, at least not in the way he had other women before her. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. But now, he wanted to push her and test her limits. It seemed that she was able to handle a lot more than he had imagined. She took everything in her stride as he fucked her on the sofa, the floor, the wall, the bed, the dining room table, everywhere. The whole time they bit down on each other and exchanged blood. He had never had an experience like it before. It transcended sex, and anything physical he had ever felt.


	22. Honesty

Sookie awoke plagued by a strange guilt that she couldn't seem to shift. She glanced over at Eric and shuddered, remembering everything that had happened the night before. She couldn't get away from the reality of the night before, even as she poured her morning glass of blood, she stared out at the gaudy canary yellow Maserati. She shook her head, who was she becoming?

She sat in her Gran's old chair and thought back to the time before vampires had infiltrated her life. It had seemed so much simpler then. Her only goal was making enough money to be settled and finding a boy that she didn't find repulsive. She wished she could go back to those times. It seemed funny now how she had thought she was so hard done by at the time, a sad little virgin with weird mind reading capabilities. If only Sookie then had known how peculiar her life was going to become.

The idea that a faerie race had tried to suck her soul into their world to keep forever had not quite dawned on Sookie. She had a strong desire to go back to work and wait tables and pretend like none of this had ever happened. But that wasn't possible. She was in too deep and without the threat of Warlow or the faeries, she was at a loss of what to do with herself.

One goal she had managed to achieve was finding Jason a new position. She had been in contact with a vamp on the coaching team of the Jackson University football team and he had agreed to take Jason on if he could be bumped up the waiting list to be turned. Jason had never been more grateful to Sookie, and she could feel it. So she decided to cash in on some of his gratitude and ask him for advice.

Jason had never heard an engine like it. His mouth fell agape when he saw Sookie climb out of the $250,000 car.  
"What in good Jesus' name!" He cried out, rushing out to look at the sports car from every angel possible.

Sookie had half the mind to give Jason the car. The more she looked at it and drove it, the more she hated it. To her, the stupidly expensive vehicle represented who Eric was turning her into, a female version of Eric. She was sure if she stayed on this path, she would end up opening vampire bars and S&M clubs in less than a year.

Jason sat with Sookie, after taking a dozen pictures of the car.  
"So you're meaning to tell me you aren't happy?" He chuckled, shaking his head, in disbelief of his sister.  
"You don't understand. What would Gran have thought of that car?" She asked and Jason hated to admit that she would have hated it.  
"She would say it was a waste of money, which it is." She answered her own question and watched as Jason huffed in response.  
"But you didn't pay for it! So what's the problem?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"I don't want to be this person, wearing Gucci and driving a Maserati. It's not who I am." She told him.  
"Then don't. Sookie, you are the strongest person I know. What is going on?" He asked and she let her head fall into her hands.  
"It's Eric, he makes me feel like I want these things. But I think maybe I feel like I want them because I want to please him." She admitted and Jason looked at her with confusion plastered on his face.  
"Well that don't make a lick of sense." He told her and she chuckled, nodding.  
"Maybe you're right. I just feel like this money and power, it's not good for me." She told him and he nodded.  
"You're a good girl Sookie, and good people and power don't mix." He stated and she was impressed by his deep thought.  
"I think you need to speak to Bill." He added and she sat back in shock.  
"Now why in the hell would I do that?" She asked and he thought about how to phrase his response.  
"Because I have never seen you as happy as you were with Bill and right now, I hate to tell you Sook, but you look pretty miserable." Sookie had feared this, that her pain was showing on her face. She hated the admit it, but maybe Jason was right. Maybe she needed to settle the anger she felt for Bill and discuss with him how she was feeling.  
"I hate when you're right." She chuckled and he shrugged his shoulders.  
"It doesn't happen that often. So I've gotta enjoy it when it does." He laughed and she shook her head, leaving him to finish packing up the house for his move.

Eric had awoken alone, the bed empty. He could tell that Sookie wasn't in the house. He felt her pain, lingering where she had been sleeping. He knew that they had taken it too far last night, that he had pushed her too far from her comfort zone. He had loved it in the moment, but now the regret surpassed the pleasure. He wanted to be there for her, but he feared that maybe he was not the one who could help her with this problem. Eric sought a specific lifestyle, one that he would never give up and he guessed that Sookie would have to think about whether she wanted that lifestyle too, or if she wanted a different way of life. The latter felt too painful to think about. So Eric left a note, saying he had business matters to attend to and left, before he could regret his decision.

Sookie returned home to find the note, on the dining room table. She sighed, feeling the anger and hurt in the writing. The words themselves were nothing special, but their intent was clear. Eric knew how she felt and he wasn't happy.

She took this as an opportunity to consider her choices and what direction she wanted to go in life. She wanted to feel as she had before all of this had happened. So she pulled on her old favourite floral sundress and a white thick knitted cardigan and took a deep breath, looking in the mirror.  
"That's better." She said to herself.

It was not an easy decision, to speak to Bill. He had caused all of this, but holding onto resentment was not going to help anyone. When she knocked at the door, she held her breath, not wanting to smell his scent.

Bill had not had any daytime visitors at his home, with no one knowing he was awake in the morning. So, the knock at the door sent shock through his body. He felt his hands tense up as he smelt Sookie. He knew it was her even before he opened the door. When he did, he felt himself gasp. She looked as she had when they had first been courting, lit by sunlight, with a soft smile on her face.

It had been so long since he had seen her in this way. He felt his heart yearn for her and she looked down at her converse trainers in embarrassment.  
"Sookie-" He started, not knowing where to go from there.

When she heard him say her name, in the way he used to, Sookie felt her bones melt a little. He had always had that way of making her like putty in his hand.  
"Can I come in?" She asked in a small voice, feeling vulnerable in the moment.

Bill stepped aside and wondered which god to thank that she had reached out, even a little. He fetched her a fresh true blood and a tray of snickerdoodle cookies. He had never been able to eat with her before and that seemed like a small but potent pleasure for him.

Sookie smiled down at the cookies, she had never wondered what food Bill liked. But now she supposed she could learn that about him, a side of him that was still human. He looked like old Bill, wearing a cream thin sweater, with the sleeves rolled up. He had let his hair grow out, so his bangs fell into his face in a way that made Sookie smile a little.  
"How can I help you?" He asked and she sighed.  
"I just want to talk. I haven't spoken to you properly since-" She stopped herself, not wanted to relive what happened.

Bill couldn't believe his ears. Sookie was sat in his living room, wanting to chat, not scream at him, just chat. He couldn't believe that she had made the move, but he was grateful that she had.  
"What would you like to talk about?" He asked and was shocked when he saw a little blood well in her left eye.  
"Sookie-" He passed her a handkerchief from his back pocket and watched as it became bathed in blood.  
"I don't feel like myself. You knew who I was, before all of this." She told him and he nodded.  
"Eric is a powerful man. His influence has taken you." He told her and she shook her head.  
"I don't want the fancy cars and designer clothes. I want my old life back." She told him and he felt so much pain, seeing the hurt that he had caused her.  
"Sookie, if I could give you your life back, I would." He told her and she shook her had.  
"There's no way. I fucking hate New York." She chuckled, her sadness seeping through the laughter.  
"You don't hate me?" He asked, confused. She looked up at him and pondered for a moment.  
"I did." She told him and he wondered what she felt now.  
"I got Jason a job in Jackson." She changed the subject and Bill understood that she was finished talking about her feelings towards him.

They sat and spoke about everything. Bill discussed his short interest in Freyda and how quickly that had died and Sookie giggled at his misfortune, a sound that Bill hadn't heard in too long. He brought her in coffee and chocolates, wanting to make her more comfortable. Sookie couldn't believe how human Bill felt to her. He had really embraced the human side of being born-again vamp.

After a while, the conversation became deeper.  
"You know, you broke my heart when you released me." She told him and he hung his head in shame.  
"I regretted it the moment I did it." He told her. "I know that doesn't make it any better. But it is true." He added.  
"I just wanted you to take some responsibility. I still loved you. I was just so angry that I think you couldn't see it." She told him and he looked up at her with shock in his eyes.  
"How could you love someone after they did that to you?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.  
"I could see in your eyes that you had made a mistake. That you had tried to do the best with the fuck up." She told him. "Just the way you handled it after was piss poor." She bit down on a cake quickly, not wanting to speak any longer.  
"I just want you to be happy, Sookie. That is all I have ever wanted. I knew in that moment, after everything that had happened, that I was only going to make it worse." He told her and she nodded.  
"I understand. I don't like it. But I understand."

Sookie told Bill about Eric's business trip.  
"He's avoiding me." She guessed and Bill nodded.  
"I think you might be right." He agreed and she sighed, letting her head fall into her hands.  
"Do you love him?" He asked boldly and she looked up at him with shock in her eyes.  
"Yes I do." He felt more pain from her response than he had anticipated. But less from the words themselves, and more the heartache they seemed to bring Sookie.  
"I will never be who he wants me to be." She sighed, looking down at her hands.  
"And who is that?" He asked.  
"Pam, or Nora, someone who wants to live a life of luxury." She thought aloud.  
"You don't want that?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"I want to be comfortable, of course. But I don't need cars that cost more than my house, or shoes that are worth more than a college education. It just seems wrong." Bill felt more love for Sookie in that moment than he could remember feeling for anyone.  
"So what will you do?" He asked and she sat back in deep thought.

Sookie looked at Bill now. He had been her companion for so long, known her for so long, she couldn't think of many people who knew her better than him. So she decided to ask him.  
"What do you think I should do? She could see the shock on his face. He sat back and thought for a moment.  
"I think you should take one of the vampires who wants to be turned, turn them, take the million dollars and live off of it for a while. Enjoy the life that you want, without fear of what will come next." He told her and she sighed, knowing that it was a good plan.  
"Isn't that a little selfish?" She asked and he chuckled.  
"Selfish to who? You have given everything to keep us safe from faeries and Warlow. Your life should be simple now." He told her and she felt a strange kind of freedom in his statement.  
"I think I might do it." She told him and he nodded.  
"I hope you will." He smiled over at her.  
"What about you? What will you do?" She asked and he sipped his true blood.  
"I will do the same, turn a few vampires and enjoy my life." He told her and she nodded.  
"Will you stay here?" She asked and he looked up at her, with his brows furrowed.  
"Do you want me to?" He asked and she looked down at her hands.  
"I don't know what I want right now." She gasped when he took her hand and squeezed it.  
"I will always be yours if you want me Sookie. You know that." He told her and she sighed, placing her hand over his.  
"I know."

She left soon after and Bill couldn't believe what had just happened. Sookie had never been so open about her emotions before, especially concerning Eric. He felt he had connected with her on a deeper level and for that he was grateful.

Author's Note: Hi guys, I am sorry I have been gone for so long! I have been travelling in Japan and I have now moved to China! So I have just been getting myself settled . But I am so glad to be back to you and back to this story :)


	23. A Gentle Touch

Talking with Bill have given Sookie a new lease on life. She wanted find Eric and tell him exactly how she felt. She might lose him in the process. But it was better to lose him than to lose herself.

Part of her felt that she should have brought Jessica or Tara along. But she had to do this alone. The hardest part of all of this was locating Eric. He had so many businesses that he could be at any number of them. But, it was easier to start with Fangtasia and then work from there.

Eric had been hurt from the night before. When he had left, he had a feeling that he and Sookie weren't truly meant for each other and in order to be with her, he would have to give up a side of himself that he wasn't ready to let go of.

He had retreated to his office in Fangtasia and when he walked around his dungeon, he thought of all the things he had done in that moist dark place and sighed. He would never be able to do those things with Sookie. He respected her too much, loved her too much and if last night had been too much then there was no hope for any of this equipment. He turned his back and sighed, wondering if what he had with Sookie was worth giving up that part of himself and if he was honest with himself, he was not sure.

When he returned to his office, he was stopped in his tracks. Nora was sat in his desk chair, feet up on his desk, in nothing but Louboutins. He shuddered when he saw her wicked smile and he knew that this time, he could not resist. With Nora, he could do all of the disgusting depraved things that he would never be able to do with Sookie. He revelled in the moment as he shackled her up and watched her mouth drool as he gagged her. It was disgustingly erotic.

They were a few hours in when the door sounded. Eric heard it, but he was so involved with Nora that he didn't care.

Sookie heard the clambering of chains and sighed. If she knew Eric, and she was pretty sure she did at this point, she was going to walk in on a pretty unsavoury sight. When she descended the stairs, she nodded. Just as she thought, he had Nora chained up, upside down, doing unspeakable things to her. She shuddered and turned away. She didn't slam the door, she didn't let her presence be known. She was not as much upset as she was mortified. He had made a fool of her. She had been convinced that he had changed. But nothing had changed. He was the same old Eric that would continue to fuck over women for the rest of eternity.

She drove home with a country radio station blaring. She texted Jessica to meet her for pie. She wanted to stuff her face and bitch about her life. Jessica smiled when she saw Sookie, looking like old Sookie. They sat down and Sookie chuckled.  
"I'm a fucking idiot." She told her and Jessica furrowed her eyebrows.  
"No, you're not." She shook her head and Sookie laughed.  
"I really thought Eric Northman was going to be faithful with me?" She sighed and shook her head, sticking her fork into her first of many pieces of pie.

Jessica couldn't believe her story.  
"He was doing what?" She asked, wondering how someone even survives that much blood to the brain.  
"I don't want anything to do with any of that. So I'm glad that I saw it. That is what he really wants." She told her and Jessica was so shocked, she placed her hand over her mouth.  
"If Hoyt even suggested that-"  
"He wouldn't, because Hoyt is a good man." Sookie told her and Jessica nodded, sure that she was right.  
"What will you do now?" She asked and Sookie thought for a minute.  
"I'm going to have another piece of pie and then I'm going to go home and sleep until I feel better." She told her and Jessica thought that was a good plan. Sookie was such a good person and she deserved to be treated with respect. But it seemed that time and time again she was being screwed over.

Sookie finished four pieces of pie. She felt full and comforted. She drove home, with Jessica. They decided it was best for Jessica to move out of the hotel and back in with Sookie.  
"What about Tara?" Jessica asked and Sookie thought for a moment.  
"She will want to go off and live her own life. I don't blame her." She told her and Jessica nodded, knowing that Bon Temp was no longer a home for Tara.

Jessica snuggled up in her cubby hole and decided that she had somewhat missed it. As the sun set, she fell into a deep slumber, needing a nap after the happenings of the day.

Sookie, on the other hand, was wide awake. She felt betrayed by Eric. But more-so, she felt stupid. She sighed, running her hand over the side of the bed where he slept and decided that she would get a new bed.

She hadn't planned it, but once she was walking, Sookie knew where she was heading. She banged on Bill's door, needing to feel something other than betrayal for a moment.

Bill was shocked when he opened the door to Sookie. He was more shocked still when she grabbed his shirt and pulled his lips to hers. He hadn't kissed her in so long that the feeling of her against him was so sweet. He grabbed her up and pulled her legs around his waist, striding into the living room.

Sookie was glad that he had reciprocated. She wouldn't have known what to do if he had pushed her away. She revelled in his little grunts and moans as he sat her on top of him on the couch. She laced her fingers into his hair and smelt the dry musky scent that somehow felt like home.  
"Sookie-" He started, but just the way that he said her name was enough for her. She pulled off his shirt and pressed his chest against hers. She knew it was wrong, she knew she would regret it in the morning. But she had to let off some steam, release some of the anger she felt towards Eric.

Nora looked back when Eric went still. They hadn't stopped for hours, so she knew something had to be wrong. Eric had felt it like a punch in the gut. Sookie was with someone else. He could feel it in his blood, her blood. He didn't say anything to Nora, he just ran out of the bar and straight into his car.

Sookie just wanted to sit on the sofa and kiss Bill all night. She wanted to feel his soft hands caress her back, his tender lips whisper against her throat. It felt so intimate, so gentle compared to what Eric had done to her, and what she had seen him doing to Nora.

The door slammed open and Sookie turned to see who was interrupting them.  
"What the fuck are you doing?" A naked Eric stood in the doorway. Sookie sighed and shook her head.  
"What are you doing here, Eric?" She asked him, still sat on top of Bill.  
"You really have to ask me that?" He seethed, his chest heaving with rage.  
"You should go back to Nora." She told him and he felt it like a punch in the gut.

Bill had no idea what to make of any of this. He was confused from their conversation, confused as to why Eric was naked, aroused because Sookie was still pushing down on his groin. It was a lot of emotions to comprehend in one moment. He shook his head and looked over Sookie's shoulder.  
"What's going on here Eric?" He asked, letting out a deep breath.  
"Why don't you tell me?" He cried out, obviously angry.  
"Just leave, okay? I will speak to you when I can look at you again." She turned her back away from him and Bill felt his ego inflate a little.

Sookie heard the door slam behind her. She shook her head, then rested it in Bill's shoulder. She felt awful, even if he had been the first to cheat with Nora, seeing Eric so angry upset her.

She climbed off of Bill and sat beside him.  
"I don't know what to do." She told him and he nodded.  
"It seems your life is a little complicated right now." He told her and she let her head fall back onto the couch.  
"Maybe I need to be alone." She thought aloud and he nodded.  
"I think you might be right." It took everything he had to resist her, to not pounce on her where she sat. But he walked her to the door and looked down at her with fondness in his gaze.  
"I am always here, if you need me."

Sookie wished Bill a goodbye and wondered if maybe giving him bluebells was somewhat of a payback, in some small way. She trudged back over to her house, wanting to get some sleep. But when she saw a naked Eric sat on her porch, she let out an audible groan.  
"Hello to you too." He sighed and she walked past him into the house. He could feel the exhaustion from her mind. He watched as she walked into the bedroom and slumped down on the bed, still fully dressed. When she was this tired, it was easy to read her mind. He could see that she regretted going to Bill. But she craved the soft, intimate touch that he gave her.

Eric felt saddened when he realised that he had not been giving Sookie what she wanted nor needed. He had been so busy worrying about his own wants and desires that he had looked past hers. She wanted to be caressed and wooed. He had focused so intensely on what he would have to give up to be with her, that he had forgotten all that he gained from being in her presence.

Sookie sighed when she felt Eric leave. She hoped he would let her have some peace for a short while, to let her mind be free of all men. But, it seemed Eric had other ideas, as he slumped down on the couch, ready to sleep there until he could figure out what to do to make them both happy.


	24. Conversations

Sookie awoke with a pounding headache. Part of her had hoped and wished that the day before had been some sick dream. But alas, there he was: Eric, asleep on her couch. She felt sick just by looking at him. She sighed and shook her head, sipping on her morning blood.

She kicked him, hard.  
"Wake up." She ordered him in a stern voice.  
"What the fuck?" He grumbled as he groaned, rolling his shoulders in discomfort.  
"Don't what the fuck me. Get the fuck up." She kicked him again, getting angrier by the minute.  
"Sookie-" He started, but she shook her head and interrupted.  
"I don't wanna see your face for at least two weeks, you sick son of a bitch." She spat at him, ushering him out.  
"Go on, get." She shouted as he looked up at her with pure shock in her eyes.  
"Run on back to Nora, you're time is wasted here." She shouted in his face, slamming the door on his confused expression.

Jess had heard it all. She was proud of Sookie. She was sure if she had found Hoyt doing something one tenth as disgusting, she would cut all contact immediately. She found Sookie sat on the sofa, with her head in her hands. She sat down opposite her and waited until she was ready to talk.

Sookie was grateful for Jessica in this moment. She really didn't want to be alone.  
"What am I supposed to do? I feel so lost right now. I don't even know who I am." She admitted and Jessica chuckled, causing her head to snap up in shock.  
"Of course you don't! You're a vampire fae hybrid who wants to be a human." She told her and Sookie realised how insane her life had become.  
"I wish I could go back to Sam's." She admitted and Jessica knew she missed her old job, her old life.

They sat and ate breakfast. Sookie was glad to have someone to cook for. In many ways, Jessica had become a kind of sister to Sookie and for this she was very grateful.  
"I honestly don't know what I would be doing if I were you." Jess told her and Sookie sighed.  
"I don't think I'm doing a very good job." She told her and Jessica shook her head.  
"I think you are doing just fine." Sookie laughed, wondering how all of this could be seen as fine.  
"I shouldn't have gone to Bill." She reflected and Jessica shrugged her shoulders.  
"So, you kissed your ex? Big whoop. You caught him impayling his." She told her and Sookie chuckled and nodded.  
"You're not wrong. I think maybe being on my own might be good for now." She told her and Jess nodded.  
"What will you do now?" She asked and Sookie told her about turning a vampire.  
"I don't see the harm of having one vampire in residence here." She told her and Jessica thought it was a great idea.  
"I think I actually have a great guy for the job." Jessica told her and Sookie asked where she had found him.  
"I've been working with Pam on making a waiting list." She told her and Sookie was slightly jealous of her for having a vocation.

Sookie trusted Jessica, and told her to invite the man over to meet her. She had never been a very ambitious woman, so the thought of how to fill her endless days was a little challenging. Maybe she could write a book? But she had always preferred reading over writing. Maybe she could take up painting? But she knew she was not patient enough to paint.

She sighed, watching as Jessica would go out to help Pam and see Hoyt. It seemed that Sookie's social circle was growing smaller and smaller and now that the cat was out of the bag about her being a born again vamp, not many of the locals were exactly jumping to be her friend. She shook her head, looking out at the flashy car. She didn't want it, she hated it. So on an impulse, she hopped in and drove it to the nearest luxury second hand car lot she could think of.

She had never seen a man so shocked before in his life.  
"I have never seen a car like this in my life!" He told her and she chuckled.  
"It just isn't for me." She told him and he looked at her like she was crazy. She was reading his mind loud and clear, he thought she was insane. She passed over all of the paperwork, to prove it was legit and watched as the man's eyes buldged out of his skull.  
"I have just the buyer for this." He told her and she waited, as he went in the back to call his buyer.  
"He wants it. He's just moved into the area and he told me that he's looking for a one of a kind, which this definitely is." He told her. He offered her 250,000 dollars and she took it on the spot. She didn't know if she was underselling herself and she didn't really care.  
"Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked her as she wrote down her information.  
"I don't live far away." She told him and he nodded absentmindedly.  
"How are you gonna get home today?" He asked.  
"Oh, I'm gonna buy one of your cars. Have you got anything old and banged up?" She asked and chuckled at the confused and frustrated look on the guys face.  
"I guess." He huffed as he showed her the old bug. It was a deep green colour and the paint had chipped off in a few places, she loved it.  
"I'll take it." She smiled as he rolled his eyes.  
"Yeah, whatever." He was convinced by now that she had lost her mind and put it down to her being a woman. Sookie shook it off and grinned as he dropped the keys into her hand and told her the payment would be processed in a few days.

Sat behind the wheel of an old bug, Sookie felt more like herself again. She hummed along to old country songs on the radio and felt a weight lift from her chest. Part of her thought that she should give Eric the money, but the rest of her told her to fuck him and give it to the local childrens hospital. They needed it more than him.

Sam chuckled when he saw Sookie pull up in a little green bug. He had been surprised when word had spread about the swanky new sportscar that she had been spotted in. He was sure that it wouldn't last long.

He smiled when Sookie came and sat at the bar. She had never quite looked human after she had been turned, but she still had that warmth in her skin that made her Sookie.  
"It's been a while." He remarked as he popped open a bottle of O Neg for her. There were audible gasps from some of the patrons of the bar. But he didn't care, Sookie was still Sookie.

Sookie hadn't drunk a bottle of true blood in Bon Temp before. So when Sam slid over the bottle of blood, she had half a mind to reject it and ask for a coke. But, she thought to herself that if she could not enjoy a bottled blood with her lunch, then why did she even tell the world what she was? So, she pressed the bottle to her lips and felt the sweet fullness that she only ever felt from blood.

Sam smiled when he saw her sip the blood. He knew that some people were horrified, even disgusted. But he was sure that more and more vamps would start walking in the sun soon, so he had to get used to serving blood, no matter the time.  
"So what have you been doing since I saw you on the TV?" He asked and she chuckled, wondering where to start.

Sookie told him everything, from Warlow, to the Fae to the soul sucking, everything. He had to sit down half way through.  
"So let me get this right. You travelled through a portal to another realm?" He asked and Sookie nodded.  
"With a half vamp, half fae that was probably older than Jesus?" He added and she nodded again, chuckling.  
"The only way they would agree to shut the portals and end the war was to take him as a prisoner." She told him and he nodded.  
"So, I left him." She said and Sam could see the sadness in her eyes.  
"Do you miss him?" He asked and she shook her head.  
"No, not exactly. It's just he was the only one like me. The only one born fae who was turned vampire."  
"Is there a difference?" He asked and she thought for a moment.  
"Yes, I think there is." She couldn't explain what that difference was, but it was there and she suddenly felt very alone.

Sam watched as she ate her chicken sandwich and sipped her blood and marveled at her.  
"Do you think all vamps will be like you one day?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.  
"I suppose most will want to walk in the sun and you can enjoy some of the things that you enjoyed as a human." She said. She wanted to tell him about Eric and Bill and everything that was going on. But it all seemed too personal.  
"So what's happening with Eric? He's kind of your child now, right?" He asked and Sookie was so grateful he did.  
"I kicked him out of my house this morning." She told him and he leant his elbows on the bar and asked why.

She told him about Nora and what she found and what had happened.  
"I think maybe when you're around vamps too much, you lose yourself. I felt myself getting lost." She confided in him and he nodded.  
"I don't think you were like that with Bill though." He told her and she sighed.  
"He ruined everything." She told him and he nodded.  
"All I'm saying is maybe you _should_ be changing a little. This is a whole new version of you." He told her and she wondered if he was right.  
"I'm just so confused right now." She told him and he chuckled and nodded.  
"I think I would be too." He told her and she sighed, wondering what she should do.  
"I just wish I could have my old life back." She told him and he chuckled, knowing that so many would wish to be in her current position.  
"Well that just ain't gonna happen. So you need to learn how to be happy as you are, right now. I think part of that is getting things sorted with Bill and Eric. You won't be able to relax until you do." He told her. She sighed and shook her head.  
"When did you get so smart?" She asked him and he chuckled.  
"It's always been there, you've just never needed my help before." He told her and she leant over the bar, placed a kiss to his cheek and said her goodbyes.

Sam was flustered. He was confused by Sookie. On one hand, he was terrified of what she was, but on the other, he was still head over heels in love with her. He popped open a beer and took a swig, needing to dull whatever emotion it was he was feeling.

Sookie took what Sam had said to heart. He was one of the few people in her life who wanted the best for her, with no ulterior motives. She decided to make a pie, while she considered her options. Pie was always her way to get out her frustrations, so she bought all of the ingredients for a pecan pie and set herself to work.

She let her mind wander as she mixed the cream and caramel together. Maybe Sam was right, maybe she should talk to Bill and Eric and tell them both how she felt. She thought she should have these conversations separately, to avoid conflict. But that made her wonder, how did she feel about them?

She sat whilst the pie baked and considered her feelings. Where Eric was concerned, she loved him, she knew that. That was why the betrayal hurt so bad. She had a deep passion for him that ran through her veins. But she didn't like the person that she became when she was around him. How she became materialistic and selfish. She was sure that Eric had more facets than this, she had seen them. But she was sure he was too scared to bare all to him and that was why he went back to Nora, she was easy.

Where Bill was concerned, Bill was like her Nora. He would always be there for her. She still cared for him, but it would always be tainted by a pang of animosity for stealing her humanity. He felt a bit like a backup plan, which made her feel like a bad person. But she knew if she ever needed someone to help her or be with her, he would be there.

She decided the most venomous situation was the one with Eric. She had to extinguish the heat that currently existed between them. She sat and ate a slice of the pie and wondered what she would say to him. It dawned on her that maybe overthinking wasn't the best course of action. Before she could think anymore, she hopped in the bug and drove to Fangtasia.

Eric knew he had fucked up. He had never felt regret like it before. He had seen the hatred in Sookie's eyes that morning. It was one thing to cheat, but in such a way with someone so close? He felt ashamed. It had been a long time since shame had sat its ugly little body on his shoulder. But he could feel it and he wasn't sure how to make it right.

He jumped out of his skin when he smelt her. In the next instant, she barged through his office door and sat down opposite him. He could see she was drained, her eyes were dull and her energy felt weak. He sighed and sat back.  
"You've got nothing to say?" She asked and he realised he didn't. He looked at her and couldn't think of a single word to say.  
"Eric Northman with nothing to say. Now I have seen everything." She shook her head and huffed and he could see the disappointment in her eyes.  
"Half of me wants to release you." She told him and he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He had never felt pain like when Godric had released him. He didn't know if he could go through that again.  
"Sookie, I know what I did was-"  
"You know nothing." She interrupted him.  
"You snuck out from my bed to go and fuck your sister. You are a sick little bastard." She told him, shaking her head.  
"The dumbest thing I have ever done is believing that you would change for me." She sighed, running a hand through her hair.  
"Because, no matter what you say, Eric Northman will be the only person you ever truly care about." She told him and he felt more vulnerable than ever, with her holding up a mirror to his soul.

Sookie felt ten pounds lighter after getting that off her chest.  
"I loved you so much. I have never felt anything that deep for someone." She admitted. "And you thought the best way to treat me was to perform a sex act with someone else that I am pretty sure would be illegal in several countries!" She was furious, she wanted an explanation. She flinched when he banged his fist down on the table.  
"This is what I'm talking about!" He growled, his eyes full of rage. "Over my life, I have cultivated various pleasures and desires and you can't or won't fulfill them!" He spit at her and she felt more wounded than when she had walked in on him.  
"You have no idea of that." She told him and he chuckled and sat back in his chair.  
"You think you could handle it?" He cocked an eyebrow and she felt a white hot rage course through her.  
"Maybe I could. But you wouldn't know because you didn't ask me, you just went and did it with your SISTER!" She was stood now, her arms flailing around.  
"You have no idea what I am capable of." She told him and there was a mild threat in there that she rather enjoyed.

Eric was shocked by the wrath that he had released in Sookie. He had never imagined her to be so aggressive.  
"Then let's try it." He stood up and she took a step back.  
"I don't want you to touch me." She told him and she could see the hurt on his face.  
"I came to you as my most naked self, and that was not enough for you. You had to turn me into your own version, with fancy cars and expensive shoes. That is not who I am. And if you think I am going down into that disgusting dungeon you can think again." She ranted and he placed his hands on his desk.  
"How do I please you, Sookie?" He asked, with sincerity in his voice.  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe, don't fuck your sister." She told him in the most monotone voice she could muster.  
"I get it, I fucked up. But how do I please you now?" He asked, wanting to move on from all of this.

Sookie pondered on the question for a little while. How could he please her. She looked at him and half of her wanted to rip his clothes off and fuck him there on his desk. But the other half wanted to be as far from him as possible.  
"Just leave me alone." She told him, in the end deciding that distance would be best.  
"I can't do that Sookie." He told her, his head hanging, looking down at his desk.  
"Why?" She asked, wondering why this all had to be so hard.  
"Because I love you." He told her, looking up into her eyes.  
"That isn't true." She smiled a little, shaking her head.  
"You can't know that." He spat at her and she felt the blood rush to her face.  
"Yes, I fucking can." She raised her voice.  
"How is that?" He asked, interested in her answer.  
"YOU FUCKED YOUR SISTER!" She shouted and he wiped a hand down his face, realising that she was not going to get over this quickly.  
"I'm done with this conversation." She told him and turned to leave.  
"Sookie-" He grabbed her wrist and she felt her fae magic burn his hand.  
"Don't touch me." She sneered at him and stormed out of his office.

Eric stared down at the burn on his hand. He had forgotten how powerful Sookie was. She was hurt, he could feel it, he could hear it in her thoughts. He wished they could go back to when he had first been turned and they were so in love. His lust had ruined everything and he wasn't quite sure what to do now.


	25. Experiment

Sookie drove past her house, past Bon Temp, past everything she had known. She didn't want any of it. For the first time in her life, she wanted to start over in a new town, a new face, a new name, a new life. But that seemed impossible now, as she was slightly familiar to everyone in the US after her debut television appearance. She hated herself for thinking she was so important that she had to announce herself on life television.

She thought back to the look on Eric's face, the sheer entitlement he had, thinking love was an excuse for everything. She wondered what she had done, or neglected to do, that had made him this way. Maybe he was right, in a sense, that she had not moved her comfort zone to experiment for him. But then, he had stood so concrete in his desires that she was sure he had expected her to fit into the same mould that every woman before her had been fit into. Sookie felt like she was lost in a sea of fog. She had no idea what to do or where to go, or who to talk to. She felt so lost. She rested her head against the steering wheel and sighed. What was she going to do?

After a few minutes, she sat back and realised that she was going to do what she always did. She was going to return home, consol herself with a pint of ben and jerrys and move on with her life. She was the one who had exiled Eric from her life. If he had had his way, he would have never left. They would have gotten past the cheating and moved on. But she just couldn't. But she would have to take responsibility for her actions and understand that if she felt lonely, then that was her own doing.

Jessica padded around Sookie for a few days. She watched as she baked pie after pie and continued to throw them each in the trash. It was a habit that was becoming more and more concerning. Something had to stop it. Someone had to stop her.

So, she sat Sookie down and told her about the vampire who wanted to be turned.  
"He has offered two million." She told her first and Sookie couldn't even fathom that amount of money.  
"What would I do with that kind of money?" She asked and Jessica shrugged her shoulders.  
"Go on vacation, relax on a beach somewhere. Just enjoy your life." And it hit Sookie then. She was being offered the opportunity to live a truly leisurely existence, never having to work or do anything strenuous for her living. She should be joyful, or grateful at least. But, she couldn't help wondering what all of that money was worth if she had no one to spend it with. In that moment, she didn't have the time or the mental capacity to contemplate that idea. So, she asked for more information about the big spender.

Jess told her that he had been staying in the area, in hopes that she would say yes.  
"Why didn't you turn him?" Sookie asked and Jessica shook her head.  
"You need this more than I do." She told her and Sookie felt love flow through her veins. She agreed to meet with the guy and scope him out, to see if she would want to sire him. When she thought about it, she would only have to keep him in her house for a week or so. And once he was turned, she could release him so he had no sway over her life.

Sookie agreed to meet with the new vamp. But something in the back of her mind told her that it was a bad idea. If she started this with one high baller, then surely it would become a precedent for other wealthy vamps, to pay big bucks to walk in the sun.

It seemed a slippery slope but she could do with the money and she didn't see too much harm until a canary yellow Maserati pulled up in her driveway. Jessica could see the shock on her face and stood behind her to see what she was looking at.  
"Oh shit." She whispered. Sookie knew the minute that the car pulled up that it was a bad idea. She knew that he was going to be the kind of man she didn't want to deal with. But still, some part of her wanted to go through with it, get the money and then never do it again.

His name was Richard Holmes. He was british and had been a tutor of a night class at Cambridge university for the last twenty years, a job made excessively easier once vampires came out of the shadows, but also one that could be improved with being able to walk in the sun.

Sookie watched as he climbed out of the car. His hair was wavy and he wore a tweed suit. He seemed a stereotypical english man. But the car didn't seem to fit. Sookie was confused when he knocked at the door.

Jessica did the honours of inviting him in and sitting him down. She sighed, thinking about what she was potentially offering this man. Was she willing to sell her blood to him? She wasn't sure. When she introduced herself, she shook his hand and found his grip firm. They sat together and sipped on some blood.  
"I must tell you I find you fascinating, Sookie." He told her and she attempted to smile, but found she couldn't quite get there.  
"I would give anything to have you in my lab, even just for a day." The mention of a lab made Sookie feel on edge. She could sense Jessica fidgeting in her seat and it seemed that there was a mutual agreement that this man needed to get out of their house.

Eric sat in his throne that night, beside Pam. They spoke about a number of topics, until Pam could no longer resist discussing Sookie.  
"She's having a visitor tonight. A very rich visitor." She told him and he leant forward, placing his arms on his knees.  
"Who?" He asked and when Pam told him, he was already halfway across the bar.

Eric had heard of Holmes before. He was famous for performing lobotomies on vampires. He was sure, without a doubt, that he was looking to get Sookie on his slab. He hoped and prayed that he wouldn't be too late as he sped down the country roads in his ferrari.

Sookie felt the back of her neck sweat as she watch Holmes sip on his blood.  
"What is it exactly that you are looking for, Mr Holmes?" Sookie asked, wondering if there was still a way that they could make a deal.  
"Originally, I wanted to be turned myself. But I think it would be much more interesting to see what is going on inside of that beautiful little body." He reached for his briefcase and Sookie stood.  
"It is time for you to leave now, Sir." She told him and he chuckled and shook his head.  
"Oh no, I am just starting to have fun." Sookie saw the look in his eye and saw the glint of a needle. It might be true that born again vamps are not susceptible to silver. But she had no idea how she, or Jessica would react to whatever he had in that vile. So, before she could even think, she picked up one of her Gran's old candlestick holders and jammed it straight through his chest.

Jessica cried out in shock. It was then that Eric turned up, met with the sight of dead british vampire goop all over Sookie.  
"Oh for fuck sake." She cried out, wiping off as much as she could. She didn't acknowledge Eric. She couldn't deal with his presence when another vampire was wedged in her cleavage. She stomped into the shower and watched the vamp remains slide down the drain. She wondered when this life would become easy, when she would be able to wake up and have a vague idea of what her day would consist of. She hated Eric, but what she hated more was how she was glad when he had turned up. Some part of her wanted to patch it up with him and that part of her also knew that it would be the only way to navigate this shit show of an existence.

Eric sighed, looking at the floor. He knew that Sookie had had to scrub human blood off of her floor before. But he was sure that vamp remains would be worse. So he found a bucket and some dish soap and got to work. He had never gotten on his knees for any woman before. But here he was, on his knees, scrubbing her floors in hopes that maybe she would look at him with slightly less judgement than before.

He wondered who he had become, to be so subservient to a woman. He wanted nothing more in the world than for her to just smile at him, just once. He would have given anything to be on her favoured side once again. He cursed Nora for ever having tempting him into sin and he felt more shame for that one act than he had ever felt for anything before in his disgustingly long life.

Sookie emerged from the bathroom, in sweats, her hair pulled up in a towel. She was stopped in her trains when she saw a very large viking back, lower than usual, shorter than her. He was on the floor, scrubbing the vampire off of her tiles. She sighed and shook her head. She could have never imagined that Eric Northman would ever have become her cleaner. But she had to admit that she rather liked the sight of it. She leant against the jam and watched him scrub away for ten minutes before she eventually made her presence known and he turned to look up at her.

It was a strange moment, when she saw genuine sorrow in his eyes. In all of her time of knowing Eric, she had never seen him look so stripped bare, so desperate. She sighed and shook her head.  
"What am I going to do with you?" She asked and he looked up at her in earnest.  
"Anything you want. Just please don't tell me to leave you alone." He begged her and she shook her head and took the bucket away from him.  
"I'm tired, you can stay on the couch." She told him and as she laid down, with the knowledge that all six foot two of him was curled up on her little sofa, she wondered if maybe their handful of born again vamps should be all there was for now.


	26. Making a Change

Sookie awoke and huffed as she stared at the ceiling. Half of her mind hoped that she would find an empty couch when she ventured to go and find some blood. But, when she saw Eric sprawled out, sound asleep, she shook her head and considered her circumstance.

He obviously sought her forgiveness. But for the life of her, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She poured herself a glass of blood and thought of what had happened when she had tried to progress without Eric. She had almost been killed on the first try. She let out a low sarcastic chuckle when she spotted the yellow maserati in front of her porch. She guessed it fell back into her possession again. She wasn't sure she wanted it, but it seemed she couldn't shake it, a little like Eric.

He began to stir when he smelt freshly poured blood. The floorboards still stank of the stench of dead vamp. He wasn't sure how long it would take for the smell to go. He searched for Sookie and found her sat on the edge of her bed, sipping on a glass of blood.  
"I'll get a guy in to change the floorboards." He told her, nodding over to the living room.  
"Thanks." She stared into her glass, stained a morbid tint of red.

Eric could feel the walls up around herself.  
"Do you want me to leave?" He asked and she sighed, placing her glass down a little too hard on her nightstand.  
"What does it matter? You'll do what you want anyway." She told him and he huffed, watching her waltz past him, into the bathroom.

He let his head fall into his hands. He wondered if Nora was happy with herself. But he knew he couldn't blame her entirely. He had just as much to do with the infidelity, if not more than her. He hadn't imagined that it would cause such a drastic shift in his life. But, he found himself reconsidering everything as he sat on the edge of the old wooden bed, with the god awful floral sheets.

He had been alive for thousands of years, and all that time, he had wanted money and sex and luxury. But he had never met anyone that made him stop in his tracks and consider why he wanted these things. He had more money than anyone could ever fathom. If he recorded all of his wealth he would easily be one of the richest creatures on the planet. Why did he need to work so hard, hustle so hard to make even more money?

Sookie had caused a cerebral shift in his mentality. She had brought him back into the light and with that came a whole host of new emotions. He felt guilt trickle back into his soul, something that had been absent since he was turned. He partially hated himself for being so easily changed. But also, he knew that this hatred would be shadowed by a future disdain for himself if he didn't change his ways. He knew he would lose Sookie for good, if he hadn't already.

Eric had left his mind wide open and Sookie felt dizzy, experiencing the shit show of emotions that was playing out in there. It was pretty clear that he was being tormented. She smiled a little at the knowledge of this, knowing that he deserved more than a little torment for what he had done to her, but also for the centuries of debauchery.

She stayed in the shower for almost an hour, scrubbing herself and listening into Eric's mind. She decided that for now, she was going to sit back and watch what kind of attempt of redemption that was going to follow. She resigned herself to the fact that her life and Eric's were always going to be intertwined in one way or another. So she might as well enjoy the show.

By the time that Sookie emerged, Eric was determined to change. He had never felt this motivation to be a better person before and it was an emotion he was completely uncomfortable with. But, he knew that it was the only way that his soul would be able to live in peace and the only sliver of hope that he had for a life with Sookie.

They sat down to breakfast, Sookie, Jessica and Eric. Jessica could feel the awkward tension in the room and decided to break it with a simple question:  
"Are we going to talk about last night or what?" Sookie shook her head and allowed herself to smile ever so slightly. Jessica was still a seventeen year old girl who wanted to avoid awkwardness.  
"I was almost taken to a creepy lab in England, killed a potentially very powerful vamp with a candlestick and now have remnants of vampire goop in our floorboards. What is there to talk about?" She asked and Jessica let out a chuckle, wondering how Sookie could be so humourous and guessing it was her way of dealing with the trauma.  
"I think this is just evidence of why Sookie shouldn't do business on her own." Eric stated, half joking and half serious.

Sookie didn't respond to his comment. Although he was correct that she had failed her first business venture, she didn't appreciate that he was insinuating that she was inferior to him.  
"You know, Jessica, some people are good at business and others have different talents, like being kind and not fucking their sister." Eric choked on his blood and Jessica let her mouth fall open. At first it felt like her mom and dad fighting. But now the fight was over, Sookie had won.

Eric excused himself after breakfast, taking the keys to the maserati on the way out. Sookie was glad when she heard the wheels screech down the dirt road. She found herself in a state of boredom once again.  
"Well, what should we do with our time?" She asked Jessica and she shrugged.  
"We are ladies at leisure, we can live our lives as we wish." She told her and Sookie thought for a moment.  
"But we're not really. I don't even know how much money I have to my name. And our little money scheme didn't exactly work out well, did it?" She nodded down to the stained floorboards.  
"I highly doubt you have anything to worry about, but if you have any worries then we could definitely take a trip to the bank today." Jessica suggested and Sookie thought it was the most perfectly mundane activity to do to make them feel more human than ever.

Eric had broken the speed limit, all the way to Fangtasia. Pam was shocked when he came stomping into the bar.  
"What's got you tied in such a knot?" She asked and he huffed, looking around at the bar.  
"I fucking hate this place." He told her and she furrowed her brows and scrunched her nose in disdain.  
"What do you mean? This is _your_ bar, Eric." She told him and he shook his head.  
"Correction, this is _your_ bar now." He told her and she followed him in a frenzy as he burst into his office.  
"I don't care what you do with it. Sell it, keep it, I don't care." He told her and she grabbed his arm as he began looking through paperwork.  
"You don't know what you're saying Eric." She told him and he sat her down.  
"Pam, we aren't the same as we were before. We are not night creatures, forced into the shadows anymore. Why should I sit here, watching vampire strippers, when I could be making up for lost time out in the sun?" He asked her and she sighed, shaking her head.  
"You seem to forget that I was always in the business of running nighttime establishments." She reminded him and he looked up at her for the first time that day.  
"As I said, if you want to keep it, then I am sure that you will find it a profitable business. But I just can't be this creature anymore." He told her and she nodded, knowing that there was no way that she was going to convince him any other way.

He had dedicated years to running Fangtasia, and handing it over to Pam felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He had not felt so carefree in centuries. He reminisced back to the time when his only worries were hunting food for his family and looking after his wife, his human life. He feared longing for something so long lost. He had never allowed himself to want to feel that way again, to feel even remotely human. But living in the sun, being able to potentially live with Sookie, it made him feel, for the first time since being turned, that he could get back to that way of life.

Sookie and Jessica watched as the balding fat man tapped away at his keyboard.  
"This is the current balance in your account, Miss Stackhourse." He turned the clunky monitor around to her and she felt the blood drain from her face.  
"Are you sure?" She asked and wiped the sweat from his brow.  
"I can assure you this is correct." He told her and she stared at the number, all seven figures of it. Jessica held in her excitement until they left the bank.  
"It must be for the folks in the hotel!" She told her and Sookie suddenly remembered that they had all paid their fair share to bask in the sun.

She drove in the yellow masserati, with the knowledge of her new found wealth and felt any existential crisis leave her.  
"Jessica, do you know what this means?" She asked and Jessica bubbled at the kinds of opportunities they now had. They could go to Italy, they could buy designer clothes, they could live a life that just one week ago they couldn't have imagined.  
"We don't have to worry." Sookie told her and Jessica nodded, knowing that the adventures would come about with time. But the luxury of never having to worry financially again was one that made her feel weightless.

They sat on the porch with two large glasses of blood, enjoying the sun under the shade.  
"This is the kind of life we deserve." Sookie told her and Jessica chuckled.  
"Who would have thought we would be here." She wondered aloud.  
"Well, aren't you a couple of ladies at leisure?" Eric chuckled, climbing out of his car.  
"Do we not deserve it?" Jessica challenged him and he nodded.  
"You most certainly do. Can we take a walk?" He asked Sookie and she reluctantly nodded.

They walked slowly around her yard.  
"Sookie, I need to apologize to you." He began and she nodded.  
"Yes, you do." She told him and he sighed, knowing this was going to be an uphill battle.  
"I'm mourning the person I was." He shocked her by admitting. She looked across to him with confusion in her eyes.  
"I have been a filthy blood lusting creature for over a thousand years." He began and she listened in silence.  
"You came along and booted me into the sun, you've reminded me what it is like to be human." He told her and she looked down at the ground.  
"But, when you saw me, before, I hadn't fully let go who I was." He admitted and she waited.  
"I signed Fangtasia over to Pam." He told her and she stopped in her tracks.  
"Why?" She asked and he stuck his hands deep into his pockets.  
"I don't want it anymore. It is everything I used to be. I want to try to connect to my human essence again. I want to remember what it is like to live solely for myself, not for money or greed." He explained.  
"I don't believe you." She told him and he nodded.  
"I guessed you wouldn't. But I'll prove it to you, I'll prove these things don't matter to me anymore. I'll show you what I value." He made the oath.  
"And what is that?" She asked.  
"You, our life together." He told her in such earnest, she couldn't deny its authenticity.  
"Just give me time. I'll prove myself to you." He assured her and a small part of her was willing to give him just a little of her attention.

Author's Note: I have no excuse as to why I have been gone. I have been in quarantine for 7 weeks on my own in China, with plenty of time to write, but found no inspiration. I hope you are all safe and isolating as much as possible. And I hope my fiction can bring you a little joy in this time.


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